A
good way to establish if someone's public posture is his own, or if it is
tainted by his absorption of Jewish dictates — is to determine if his
handling of the issues, rests on his use of his own strength or on the attempt
to exploit the weaknesses of others.
Jed
Babbin is of the second type. He wrote an article to explain how he would deal
with foreign powers, not by relying on what he thinks might be America's
strengths, but what he believes might be the weaknesses of what he projects
will potentially be America's enemies during the coming year, 2019. The article
he wrote came under the title: “Malign actors, strategic competitors,”
published on December 27, 2018 in The Washington Times.
Babbin
names four potentially serious challengers to America in the coming year. They
are: Russia, Iran, China and North Korea. He also sees two potentially minor
challengers: Turkey and al-Qaeda. And he proceeds to describe the strengths and
weaknesses of the four serious challengers. In so doing, he suggests — however subtle his method — how America should respond to
their challenge.
Of
Russia, Jed Babbin says that despite its weak economy, the country is
modernizing its military and “using it aggressively.” It has developed a new
generation of attack weapons against which America has no defense. In fact,
there is an arms race in which Russia and China, but not America, are
participating, he says. And he expects Russia to make a move against Ukraine in
the coming year.
Of
Iran, Jed Babbin says that in 2018, the country opposed Saudi Arabia in Yemen,
and harassed US naval vessels in the Persian Gulf. He did not say if he
foresees Iran doing the same thing in 2019. Instead, Babbin devotes most of the
time discussing what Israel may do to counter the rising power of Hezbollah, a
Lebanese politico-military organization that is backed by Iran. What happens in
2019 will depend on Israel, says Babbin; more specifically on what will happen
in the Israeli election that will take place in April, and how the corruption
charges against Netanyahu and his wife will unfold.
Of
China, Jed Babbin says that the country is now “employing cyber espionage and
cyber war on a massive scale.” It is also capable of controlling the South
China Sea, and will continue to harass US ships and aircraft in the
neighborhood. In 2019, it might seize islands claimed by Japan and other
nations in and around that sea. And if the trade war with the United States is
not resolved, China may “force a US reconnaissance down and hold the crew
hostage for a time,” he went on to say.
Of
North Korea, Jed Babbin says that it will be less of a wild card than before.
But he expects it to resume testing nuclear weapons as soon as a new site has
been prepared for such tests. North Korea will also resume testing ICBMs, and
all this will happen, amid belligerent rhetoric against US territory, says
Babbin. He then backpedaled a little, and put in a caveat: “These actions may
come separately or together. Some may not happen and others will pose great
danger. Next year will not be entirely predictable.” Having covered himself at
both ends, whatever happens in 2019, Jed Babbin is certain that his predictions
will prove correct.
But
what's wrong with the kind of approach that entails assessing one's own
situation by speculating what someone else might do? The answer is that you
define yourself not by what you know is true about you, but how you imagine
others see you, and how they might react to what they see.
In
such cases, every error you make in your perception of the others, will
translate into an error in the way that you see yourself. The result is that
you'll end up living with a distorted view of reality comprising yourself and
the others. The decisions you'll take will be distorted, and at times even
dangerous. That's because the fear you had at the start about the others, will
have amplified to the point where you'll escalate what minor dispute you had
with them, into a potentially major conflagration.
Is
there a better way to doing things? Yes, there is. It is to put yourself in the
shoes of the others, and ask yourself: How would I react if I were a Russian,
an Iranian, a Chinese or a North Korean — faced with an America
that has fleets of ships and aircraft all around my country as if America were
a force for good, and everyone else a demon capable only of causing mischief.
There
was a time when America was motivated by this kind of spirit, and doing well on
the international stage. But then Winston Churchill and later, the Jews
whispered in America's ear, and spoiled everything. Instead of looking for
answers to world problems in the shoes of the others, America let the words of
Churchill and the Jews be her guide. As a result, things went bad for America;
for the world and for the Jews themselves.