So is taking action to bolster confidence, as the federal government is doing with a wide array of unconventional measures to get more fuel into the country, and to the places within the country where it is most needed.For as long as there is no nationwide fuel shortage — that is, as long as the ships keep coming — this might work, even if stubborn, localised shortages persist in regional areas.But the longer the war drags on, the more likely that people and businesses will make up their own minds that things are not normal and begin to scale back their spending and operations, not because they are panicking but because they are rational.For businesses and for households planning their financial future, risk is a cost The closer it comes, the more likely the government will have to consider more drastic interventions.Manufacturing and maintaining confidence are at the heart of every crisis playbook.During the global financial crisis, this was done by underwriting the banking system and giving people money to spend