US in Middle East; a 'checklist of failures': Rolling Stone
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Mac William Bishop contests that the American Century is coming to an end, with external rivals outmaneuvering the US in important strategic conflicts throughout the world.
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US President Joe Biden speaks at St. John Baptist Church in Columbia, SC, on January 28, 2024. (AP)
The American Century is ending with external rivals outmaneuvering the US in important strategic conflicts throughout the world and domestic fanatics destroying American leadership, a commentary in Rolling Stones revealed.
Mac William Bishop argues that the US has been paralyzed in responding to other regimes "tearing apart America's strategic projects."
According to Ian Morris, a history professor at Stanford, this is unsurprising, since the global position of the US has declined since World War II, and others are becoming more willing to challenge the country.
The author notes that of the 27 ongoing worldwide conflicts tracked by the Council on Foreign Relations, 17 are now categorized as "worsening", with four potentially having a "critical" impact on the US. In addition, Ukraine's continued loss against Russia is not foreboding well for US policymakers or the current administration.
Bishop recalls Donald Trump's recent comments on NATO and how Elon Musk has recently given a platform to "nativist agitators like Tucker Carlson to advance Putin's agenda."
He notes that Biden's continued aid for "Israel" in its onslaught on Gaza has widened divisions over foreign policy and allowed allies of the US to see the country as an "agent of geopolitical chaos" rather than stability.
He worries about the "ad-hoc" alliance that is Russia, Iran, China, and DPRK and believes that their "mosaic of overlapping strategic interests" is successful as Putin has recently invited Palestinian factions to meet in Moscow and Tehran reveals it is helping Russia in Ukraine with ballistic missiles.
Why the US has never been weaker
Bishop expresses that the US has "failed" in its 30-year effort to "contain Iran" detailing that the Axis of Resistance has only gotten stronger.
This Resistance has frequently targeted US troops in the Middle East, which, according to Bishop, paints the picture of "an uncomfortable truth" that the US policy in the region is a "checklist of failures," including the failed invasion of Iraq, which led to turmoil in the country and the rise of ISIS in Syria after US-armed militant groups sought to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Iran's massive role in the containment and ultimate defeat of ISIS came at the cost of the US-Iran's cooperation with Russia.
In addition, Bishop contends that Iran successfully laid a "ground line of communication" with the Lebanese Resistance movement, Hezbollah.
Bishop claims that while Russia is receiving drones from China, Iran, and DPRK and purchasing weaponry from its former consumers, the coalition Washington formed to support Kiev is "fractious", unable to provide promised weapons and money due to internal wrangling and a lack of political will.
In addition, Moscow, according to Bishop, has grown bolder in the Pacific, with joint naval exercises with China, and he believes "Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China have found an effective way to blunt the impact of Western tools of economic coercion."
Meanwhile, he notes that MAGA in the US has "effectively compromised America’s international position, even with the movement’s leader out of office."
He concludes that conflicts seldom ever "work themselves out" and warns that the US could again face major "theater wars" in the near future.
Two years into Ukraine war, West fails to contain Russia: NYT
A report by The New York Times on Friday signaled that in the two years since the Ukraine war began, the collective West has effectively failed to isolate Russia.
According to the report, despite facing condemnation from international bodies like the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin's hold on power remains firm, supported by Russia's vast oil and natural gas supplies, which fuel its resilience in the face of Western opposition.
While the Biden administration claims that Russia is more isolated than ever and has suffered strategic setbacks due to the war, evidence suggests otherwise.
Russia has strengthened economic and diplomatic ties with countries like China, India, Brazil, and Gulf states, which have increased purchases of Russian oil and deepened diplomatic relations.
Moreover, Russia's influence in Africa has expanded, particularly through its military intelligence service's involvement in security operations previously managed by the Wagner contracting group.
"There is no way Russia is locked in," Michael Kimmage, a Cold War historian, told NYT. "He is not limited economically or diplomatically and conveys his message about the war."
