Spillover effects of Middle East conflict now knocking at door of US: Chinese experts

More than a month after the United States and Israel launched large-scale military strikes against Iran, the conflict's spillover effects have now spread to global commodity markets and supply chains, and has also begun to backfire on the U.S. economy itself, said Chinese experts.

Since the outbreak of the conflict on Feb 28, prices of energy, logistics, food, and other essentials have been rising steadily across the United States.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average gasoline price has surged by 35 percent over the past month, reaching its highest level in nearly four years.

In addition, due to the escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, nearly half of global fertilizer trade has been disrupted, causing the price of urea, the most commonly used fertilizer, to spike by nearly 30 percent, inflicting significant losses on U.S. agriculture.

Diao Daming, vice dean of the National Academy of Development and Strategy at Renmin University of China, said that sharp rises in the prices of daily necessities are now inevitable this year in the United States.

"Given the current development, a 10 to 15 percent increase in everyday consumer goods prices this year is well within expectations. Moreover, transportation costs for raw materials used in manufacturing and industrial sectors are also rising, making the so-called manufacturing reshoring even more difficult. At the same time, this is directly triggering volatility across financial investments and other sectors. In fact, we are already seeing the impacts on U.S. pensions and healthcare benefits, and the impacts on financial investments are also evident," said Diao.

"This shows that the Iran conflict is having a clear structural and systemic negative impact on the United States, spreading from oil prices to everyday consumer goods, clothing, food, housing, transport, and even pensions and healthcare," said Diao.

However, while most industries are being battered and the economy is facing downside risks, some special interest groups, particularly the military-industrial complex, have continued to profit handsomely from the conflict.

The U.S. Department of Defense has recently submitted an additional budget request of over 200 billion U.S. dollars to Congress, the bulk of which would flow directly to the military-industrial complex.

Moreover, data from Rystad Energy, an Oslo-based global energy intelligence and business consultancy firm, showed that if the average price of crude oil reaches 100 U.S. dollars per barrel this year, U.S. shale oil producers could see their free cash flow increase by approximately 63 billion U.S. dollars. These energy capitalists are just key financial backers for U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign team.

"Some of those close to Donald Trump or with close ties to his camp appear to be taking advantage of the market fluctuations to profit from them. This gives an impression that what should be a major decision affecting global economic stability and regional security has instead turned into a gambling game. The so-called decision-making totally disregarded America's interests or global security. Instead, it only focused on identifying the timing for more extreme measures that benefit certain individuals. It has become nothing more than a game, a gamble, in which a small minority in power in the United States seeks to extract profits from society and the market," said Diao.

The UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report on Wednesday, warning that global merchandise trade is expected to slow sharply, from about 4.7 percent growth in 2025 to between 1.5 and 2.5 percent in 2026, assuming the Middle East conflict does not intensify further.

Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, has also warned that the current conflict in the Middle East is having a more severe impact on oil than the 1973 and 1979 oil crises in combination, and an even greater impact on natural gas than the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"If the conflict does not see substantial de-escalation by the end of April, the global economy in 2026 will likely face the most severe shock since 2020. From a global structural perspective, the role of the United States as a global hegemony has further declined. A growing number of analysts believe this conflict marks a new starting point for the end of U.S. hegemony. Its strategic credibility and ability to provide security protection will both erode. In this context, countries around the world will see a further rise in their awareness of national security and sovereignty," said Wang Wen, dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University.

Spillover effects of Middle East conflict now knocking at door of US: Chinese experts

Thailand's rural tradition of elephant stewardship is rapidly vanishing as livelihoods change and younger people pursue opportunities elsewhere, threatening centuries of irreplaceable elephant-care knowledge.

For generations, mahouts in the region have passed on their tradition of closely bonding with the elephants they care for. Taweesuk Lapsan is one of a dwindling number of mahouts who diligently carry on the practice.

Long before the sun rises over the fields, he was already at work, gathering bundles of food for an animal that had been part of his family for generations.

"We've had elephants since our grandparents' and great-grandparents' generations. We've been around elephants our whole lives, so we have a strong connection and experience in raising them. That's how we've been able to live with them like this," the mahout said.

Caring for his elephant was not merely a job, but an inherited way of life. Years of daily coexistence forged an intimate bond defined by an intuitive understanding of subtle movements, sounds, and hesitations that take a lifetime to master.

"We live together like this. It's like a family. We're like family; we always go through things together. Until we breathe our last, it just depends on who lives longer," said Taweesuk.

Mahouts and elephants have been woven into parts of Thailand's cultural landscape, from rural livelihoods and traditional practices. However, the tradition has been upended by the collapse of the commercial logging industry and the rapid expansion of tourism.

As fewer young people follow in their families' footsteps, conservationists warned that an intricate system of animal care, refined over centuries, faces gradual extinction.

"When a mahout disappears, they are replaced by people who simply come in to take care of the elephants, essentially, elephant keepers. There are differences in terms of the bond between the keeper and the elephant, the cultural aspects, and the passing down of knowledge and traditions from one generation to the next. So we are concerned about the quality," said Parntep Ratanakorn, Secretary General of the Asian Elephant Foundation of Thailand.

Taweesuk said that his daughters may choose paths far removed from the stables, a decision he fully respects. As the practice fades, experts warn the loss extends far beyond a vanishing cultural heritage, threatening the daily welfare safety nets upon which captive elephants rely.

Thailand's centuries-old elephant care tradition face extinction as livelihoods change