After their humiliating defeat in Vietnam, the Americans vowed
never again to engage in an Asian war –– at least not a ground war. And then,
they did just that in Afghanistan.
Eighteen years later and still fighting in Afghanistan, the
Americans remember why they made that vow. But it is too late for remorse at
this time because the Americans have their hands full grappling with the
classic dilemma of being unable to continue with the war and yet unable to end
it and leave Afghanistan.
And that wasn't the only time the Americans got involved in an
Asian war after Vietnam. They were tricked by the Fifth Columnists in their
midst to believe that what drew them into Eastern Asia, lives in Western Asia
as well; in a place called Iraq. And so, the Americans went into Iraq, and from
there got sucked into Syria. Now entrenched in the quagmire of the Levant, the
Americans find themselves unable to continue with the war and yet unable to end
it and leave the region.
That begs the obvious question: What's the problem with these
Americans? The problem is that they do not trust their own judgment. If someone
approaches them as a friend and whispers slanderous stories about someone else,
the Americans pick up their guns without giving the matter a moment's thought
and go after that someone else. This is how Winston Churchill of Britain got
them involved in Vietnam; it is how the Jewish Fifth Columnists got them
involved in the Levant. And the story does not end here.
Even though the Americans were not defeated in Iraq or Syria the
way they were in Vietnam, or the way they were militarily eroded in
Afghanistan, they caused the region to convulse so badly, the reverberations in
the region and Europe will be felt for centuries to come. Also lurking in the
shadow, is a next phase that is itching to explode like no one can imagine at
this time.
The next phase of what's awaiting the Americans, involves both
Eastern Asia where the Korean situation is brewing, and Western Asia where the
Iran situation came to within ten minutes from exploding. It cooled off for now
but without settling any of the underlying problems. Two recent articles, one
about Iran and one about Korea, deal with America's current situations in
foreign policy.
The article about Iran came under the title: “Iran and the dangers
of 'proportionalism,'” written by Gary Anderson and published on June 24, 2019
in The Washington Times. As to the article about Korea, it came under the
title: “At the G-20, Trump Should Be Wary of China's North Korean Designs,” and
the subtitle: “Washington should clearly support its ally Seoul while also
finding a way forward with Beijing and Pyongyang,” written by Bruce Klingner
and published on June 28, 2019 in the National Interest.
Gary Anderson tells the story of things getting so murky between
the United States and Iran, the latter shot down an American unmanned drone.
President Trump decided to respond militarily but then aborted the mission ten
minutes before it started. Anderson goes on to warn that: “So far no blood has
yet been spilled; but once it has, wars tend to mutate in ways the people that
started them did not anticipate.” And he ends the discussion with the
suggestion that, “There is still a chance the Trump administration can achieve
acceptable results if it does not get ideologically intransigent … in what has
become a very dangerous game”.
As to Bruce Klingner, he tells the story of an America that used
to think it was engaged in the majestic project of protecting the world from
the evil intent of the unprincipled others. And then, the following happened:
“First came Trump's call that other nations should reimburse the
US for protecting maritime transit through the Hormuz strait. He also said that
if we're attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us. He is demanding for
exponential increases in Seoul's reimbursement for stationing US forces there.
This year's demands for a 100 percent increase or even cost plus 50 percent”.
If you're an American that doesn't understand the implications of
the country turning its military into a mercenary army for hire, here is a
fictional story that will convey to you the sense of what the real people of
other cultures are beginning to think of America:
An attractive young woman inherits a huge sum of money. She
decides to lead the good life and have all the fun she can get. She notices
it's more fun having sex with men who are so unfortunate, they never dreamed
having sex with someone of her stature; so she stays with this kind of men. But
time moves on, and she notices she is getting older and less attractive. She is
also running out of money and beginning to worry. So, she turns into a
prostitute for hire, and starts going after rich men.
That's why Bruce Klingner ends his article with this lamentation:
“Trump must carefully balance action against China, Iran and North
Korea with affirming strong support for US allies and maintaining forces in the
regions. That's no small challenge. His messaging to date has often undercut coherent
US policies”.