“The utter humiliation of America!”
By LIM TEAN
America spends a trillion dollars a year on its military. Soon that figure will be USD1.5 trillion. Iran’s annual defence budget is USD 23 billion- about 2% of America’s currently. But Iran will emerge from this war much stronger than before.
The Iran war will go down as the greatest American military humiliation since WW2, far worse than Vietnam.
America spends a trillion dollars a year on its military. Soon that figure will be USD1.5 trillion. Iran’s annual defence budget is USD 23 billion- about 2% of America’s currently.
But Iran will emerge from this war much stronger than before. It will be the pre-eminent regional power in the Middle East and it will destroy the Israeli state in the not too distant future. Let’s see what it has gained as a result of this war:-
1) total control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 25% of the world’s oil has to pass every day; The Strait used to be a free international waterway but no more.Tankers now have to negotiate with Iran and obtain permission to sail through this chokepoint. If oil is stopped at the Strait of Hormuz, the oil traffic through the Straits of Malacca, which is so important for Singapore, would be severely curtailed. Over 93% of Japan’s oil imports come out of the Strait of Hormuz and through to the Straits of Malacca. Over 68% of South Korea’s imported oil has to travel the same route. America has consigned the world to beg at the feet of the Iranians for their oil to go through. And America, the superpower is powerless to do anything;
2) Iran has single-handedly started to dismantle the petrodollar system on which the entire American financial edifice and prosperity rests. Iran is now forcing oil buyers to purchase oil in RMB in order for the tankers to be allowed to sail through the Strait of Hormuz.The destruction of the petrodollar, more than anything else will lead to the rapid disintegration of the American empire and global hegemony;
3) the destruction of American prestige in the Middle East and throughout the world. The great British Prime Minister of the Victorian era, Benjamin Disraeli, often said that the currency of international relations is prestige. American prestige since WW2 was what made it the World’s superpower. When America spoke, she commanded respect and nations listened and obeyed. But after this debacle, no longer. The Gulf States spend a staggering amount on defence every year- approaching a combined USD 250 billion, almost as large as China’s defence budget of over USD 270 billion. They bought expensive American military equipment and allowed America to establish 27 military bases on their territories throughout the region. They expected America to guarantee their security. But this war has exposed the lie and demonstrated that America is unable to even defend its own bases let alone its allies in the region. Expect to see that several of these Gulf States will start looking to other countries who can offer them better protection. A few might even start looking at Russia, Iran’s ally and BRICs partner.
Trump has only himself to blame for this debacle. This war has destroyed his legacy. It is sad but he will follow Grover Cleveland, the only other President who lost an election and came back to become President again, but whose 2nd term turned out to be a total disaster.
Trump finds himself in this position because he appointed incompetents and arch Christian Zionists to important positions – people such as Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, Pete Hegseth- a more incompetent defense secretary you cannot find, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The common denominator with these appointees is that they are ardent Zionists. They would sell the interests of America down the river to defend Israel. This was not America’s war but Trump committed American lives to fighting Israel’s war.
The Republicans will be decimated in the mid-term elections. The Iranians will refuse to negotiate and ensure that Trump suffers a catastrophic electoral defeat in November, following which he will face impeachment by the Democrats who will control both houses of Congress.
