We shall see. The amount of violence visited on Iraq was not enough to control their factions
The situation on the ground does not mirror the suits with carefully crafted talking points
Discussion
I hear you. I interpreted the question narrowly along the lines of “how could we get their bitcoin?”. Probably only need to coerce a small number of known people to get the BTC. (If it really exists.)
As for trying to control the whole country - yes, that’s a pipe dream.
Here’s an interesting run down from Tyler Cowen on historical comparisons in South America. Better than I would have thought, but still possibly not what was originally intended or on the intended time scale. https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/01/u-s-interventions-in-the-new-world-with-leader-removal.html