Saudi Arabia's east-west pipeline is shut, the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and the world's oil markets are about to feel the full weight of both. Charlie asks Peter the question underneath everything: what exactly is ending? Peter's answer is bigger than American hegemony. It is the close of a 500 year run of Western dominance, and an empire in its death throes can still do enormous damage.The clearest symptom of collapse is the lying. From the Leipzig drone story every European minister copy-pasted, to the 60 Minutes tale of a pilot who hit the ground at 100 mph with a broken back and then climbed a 7,000 foot ridge, the narratives no longer hold. Then the biggest lie of all: a new Haaretz report says MBZ personally warned Netanyahu of a massive attack ten days before October 7th, and Netanyahu told no one. Days after the attack, Hamas offered to return civilians without conditions. Israel ignored it.Peter and Charlie also cover why Israel feels happier and more creditworthy than it should while 40,000 one ton bombs head its way, how the Houthis are beating a Saudi military that spent hundreds of billions on American hardware, the Russian strike that landed between two trains carrying Boris Johnson and David Petraeus, the SBU versus GUR shootout and scam call center economy inside Ukraine, and what Lavrov told John Mearsheimer about the peace deal Russia was willing to accept.00:00 Saudi Arabia in trouble: pipeline shut, Hormuz closed00:50 What exactly is ending?01:25 The death throes of American-led Western hegemony05:03 Is 500 years of dominance what defines the West?09:12 The lying epidemic: the New York Times and the Leipzig drone12:37 The 60 Minutes pilot rescue story falls apart18:52 October 7th: Haaretz says MBZ warned Netanyahu ten days early25:53 Stand-down order and Netanyahu's motives32:14 Israel's delusion: happiness polls, bond yields and 40,000 bombs39:15 Gaza under "ceasefire" and the Israeli documentary that provoked fury46:05 Saudi Arabia, the Iraqi militias and the pipeline strike52:56 20th century military vs 21st century military: how the Houthis win56:46 Russia strikes a train between Boris Johnson and David Petraeus1:03:24 Will NATO pull its people out of Kiev?1:05:49 Ukraine's internal war: SBU vs GUR, scam call centers and NABUGo Deeper: https://ruinsreport.com/Substack: https://conversationsamongtheruins.substack.com/Support the Conversation:Join as a Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW9CSfmP6gEjqtOdGTD_JKw/joinBuy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/amongtheruins