Retired Brig. Gen. Peter Zwack who knows a thing
or two about military exercises wrote a comprehensive article about the
upcoming exercises involving Russia and China.
The article came under the title: “Russia and
China's Growing Military Interactions; Surprised?” and the subtitle: “Why does
Russia place such emphasis and media attention on incredibly large military
exercises with China?” The work was published on September 9, 2018 in the
National Interest.
Whereas the title and subtitle of the article
suggest that Zwack began to write from the perspective of a global strategic
viewpoint, he ended up telling about previous Russian exercises, recounting
them in the minutest of details, having been invited to a number of them as a
U.S. Defense attaché to Russia. But in so doing, the writer neglected to give
full details concerning his view with regard to the global strategic dimensions
that the Russia/China rapprochement has created … even if this development so
manifestly weighs heavily on his mind.
Zwack also talked about Russia's experience with
foreign invasions to explain why the Russians attach so much importance to
“snap readiness exercises.” In fact, he also related that history to Russia's
eagerness for having good relations with China. But the subtle hints are there
in the article to the effect that the initiative for the two countries to
cooperate militarily is not that of Russia alone but that of Russia and China.
This means that both powers are thinking in terms of an external threat closing
in on them. What could that be? Well, what follows is a revealing passage that
answers that question. Here it is:
“Both nations have bigger fish to fry, whether
Russia's issues to the west and south, and in China's case, in the Southeast
Pacific, and with India to a lesser extent. Making increased military
interaction more attractive is also the shared perception that the United
States and its allies are squarely blocking their aspirations and directly
threatening their regimes. Neither have major allies or are part of a
well-organized security alliance as is NATO”.
That is, Russia and China fear the intention of
the American-led Western Alliance. But this has been the case since the end of
the Second World War when each of them confronted the situation in its own way.
So then, what has changed that prompted Russia and China to start working on a
joint strategy to counter the same old threat? The answer can only be that they
sense a different kind of hostility coming from the West to their rise in
military and economic power; a rise that’s manifested by their growing ability
to influence world affairs.
The response of the two countries has been to
remain on their path, even increase the effort to reach out to the rest of the
world. Thus, while both are getting closer to each other, they are bringing
other nations into a sphere of influence that's taking on the look of an
alliance. In fact, here is a passage that shows this trend: “In 2005 Russia and
China have exercised modest forces together as part of the Chinese-driven
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Notably SCO Exercise Peace Mission
2018, involving China, Russia and six other nations, including newly added
India and Pakistan, is currently underway in Chelyabinsk east of the Ural
Mountains”.
That is not to forget China's Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) which is taking it as far into the Capitalist world as Western
Europe, as well as China’s economic forays into Africa and Latin America. As to
Russia, it is making progress getting back into the Middle Eastern places where
it used to be a welcome guest, as well as getting into Turkey and the Arabian
Peninsula, places where it never dreamed of going.
When you take all this into account, and add to it
the fact that America's European allies are dissatisfied with what their
relationship with America has become, you conclude that the world is turning
bipolar again; but one that’s different from the days of the Cold War. The way
things are going now –– unless something changes drastically –– there will be
an America-Israel alliance and no one else with them. They will be opposed by a
Russia-China alliance with a number of others allied with them. An there will
be a bloc of nations that will profess to be non-allied but will “caucus” with
the Russia-China alliance.
If America likes to live with this kind of set-up,
so be it. But it will be foolish to want having an adversarial relationship
with the rest of the world in addition to that. And so, the best policy for
America to adopt will be to cooperate with Russia and China in what they are
doing now. And what they do is help in the development of every square foot on
the planet so that everyone alive today and those yet to be born will live the
good life.
To avoid being sabotaged at every turn and succeed
at winning the respect of the world, America must jettison Israel. It must also
make it clear to its Jewish population they are with America or they are
against it. Their dual loyalty proved to be as destructive as legitimizing the
Fifth Column and rewarding the Jews for their betrayal of the country.