Perfect Storm Brewing in the Middle East
The Eagle, Bear and Dragon Dance to Music of Power
by Julie Clark (Book author, Movie Screenplays)
American interests are in disarray globally and there isn’t much time to clean house. If any semblance of world stability is to be maintained the U.S. is going to have to revisit some old tried and true practices and traditions. The Truman doctrine was deserted and not without far reaching consequences. The climate for a perfect storm has been created. Not only has America placed her own interests at risk, but is endangering every ally she has on an unprecedented scale. We at Global Perspectives watch this with care.
Even as we continue negotiating peace with Iran with the sincere hope of bringing some measure of stability to the region, Putin is busy manipulating the situation created by rogue elements in the Middle East. Iran has been baited by a hungry bear into thinking it is profitable to allow Moscow’s war machine not just access to their airspace, but their airbases. (At least sometimes, news out today said Iran's use of airbases might be limited). This could grant Russia a viable opportunity to gain more power, in the Middle East, Levant and Persian Gulf, but also the Indian Ocean.
If this becomes a permanent situation, with it comes a potential for the Russian Bear to strategically flex her muscles against every nation in that region of the world, including economically blossoming, India. One should not fail to consider the real prize, total control of OPEC’s oil distribution. This would immediately place a strangle hold on oil going to Europe. At the same time Putin has even found inroads into NATO by courting such leaders as Turkey’s recently besieged strong man, Erdogan which implies even more access to the Mediterranean while he looks eastward.
The Bear is actively shoring up missile capabilities in the disputed islands north of Japan and attempting to isolate that stanch ally of the U.S. from our base in Guam making both more vulnerable. This creates massive holes in Japanese, American and Taiwanese defensive capabilities and brings U.S. control of the entire China Sea and a large portion of the Pacific into question.
Meanwhile China is busy building her blue water navy and modernizing her military capabilities. Without hesitation the Dragon is reaching deep into the South China Sea. But this is not the biggest threat to Western interests. China is actively waging a trade war by proxy using corporate greed against western economies, especially the U.S. The sleeping giant Napoleon spoke of has awakened and that massive Dragon is about to release her greatest weapon of all, a new alternative fiat currency to actively challenge the U.S. dollar for global economic dominance.
Poised for both an economic war with the west as well as a conventional one, both the Dragon and the Bear have ceased much of their ancient animosity towards each other and are now looking to the west with hungry eyes.
Russia has not had clear access to the Persian Gulf for thousands of years. Since the beginning of written history wise tacticians have denied the Russian Bear that great crossroad of continents known as the Middle East. It has always been a priority for all sides involved, but now Putin has it and what he wants with it cannot be to further peaceful interests. Indeed, tactically he doesn’t need it for defense so it is a given that what he chooses to do with it will have nothing to do with maintaining Russian security or attaining world peace. It can only be a push for global domination that will not profit the United States or any of her allies. Worldwide ramifications are grave and the West and her allies are ill prepared to deal with the threat of this potential shift in power.
Politics or Reality? The United States seems to many observers to have relinquished her leadership role. Political opponents would say that the USA has surrendered much of her economic might, gutted her own military, and more notably, the Eagle along with her allies have compromised the very social philosophies and cultural fabric that created the flourishing environment that nurtured Western growth to begin with. But other observers would say that the USA's leaders have opted for a more subtle and nuanced international "game of chess" picking battles with care, and letting our opponents bleed themselves by their own mistakes.
Regardless of the political positions, many of these issues can be corrected if the U.S. pursues energy independence and implements domestic and foreign trade policies that favor American job creation by balancing trade deficits, curbing wasteful spending and shoring up the military. More importantly, a safe home is a home with watchful residents. Not just American, but the people of all of western civilization must come together and demand that their leaders be supportive of their constituency, culture and most important, prove themselves worthy to lead. To quote a very wise man, “A house divided cannot stand.” America and her allies better get the house in order before the storm blows.
Editor's note: For us at GLOBAL PERSECTIVES we always bet on the eagle. 