One of my favourite games is Starcraft: Brood War, the expansion pack of Starcraft. Although it was released in 1998, till today I actively follow the pro-gaming scene. Other than clever plays or a sudden reversal from the brink of death to a victory made by the players, one of the most exciting things to see is that of simultaneous battles fought on multiple battlefronts. How many battles can you fight well concurrently is an indicator of your capability and the probability of a victory.
It is the same in real life. Only difference is that in real world politics, a battle or a war is often not fought on a 1-1 fair and square basis. That is because unlike games where everything ended after an opponent surrenders or is wiped out, only to restart for a new game, in real life winner takes all and there is no reset for the loser. To some, the collapse of a country meant imminent danger. To some, the collapse of a nation meant a pie to be grabbed.
At the peak of the Cold War, nobody would have expected that the USSR, with all its military might, would collapse suddenly. However, its collapse not only meant that the empire was fragmented into pieces, it also meant that many of its assets were up for plunder. A classic example would be the movie Lord of War, where Nicholas Cage acted as Yuri Orlov. The real Merchant of Death which Nicholas Cage portrayed was Viktor Bout, who as the movie indicated, bought cheap weapons and supplied them around the world. And weapons were only one of the assets sold off cheaply.
The Battlefront Of Russia And Ukraine
Fast forward to today, the Russia-Ukraine war was a result of NATO unnecessarily expanding all the way to Russia’s border despite multiple warnings. Since it has already been covered extensively, I will not go further into that. The might of the West backed Ukraine, waiting for Russia to fall so that they can first help to rebuild Ukraine and next to plunder Russia once more. As mentioned in an earlier post, aid to Ukraine comes at a cost.
Rebuilding works in Ukraine of course lines up the pockets of the big companies.
Which is why after battling for some time, the West needs the war to be stopped. Either by the utter defeat of Russia, or a negotiation deal where Russia concedes and go for peace. Only then can the previous investments see a return. If Ukraine lost, and by extension remain under the great influence of Russia, then all the previous investments the West sunk in will be considered a loss. Surprisingly, Russia against Ukraine + NATO did not see Russia failing, a testament to Russia’s military might.
The Battlefront Of Israel And Palestine
On 7 October 2023, Hamas of Palestine suddenly launched an attack on Israel. I have covered the details so I will not repeat what I have said. But essentially, the attack of Israel caught the US off guard, and being a staunch supporter of Israel, the US has no choice but to open up another battlefront in the Middle East as they vowed unconditional support for Israel.
If the US has to support both Ukraine and Israel on 2 fronts, then it is definitely taxing on their resources. Russia will not die, for China is behind supporting it. Russia has reciprocated through concessions in central Asia, in cheap oil and gas, and in recent times through their intelligence service where Russia had given a list of spies hidden deep within China’s power circle. The fall of China’s different ministers and sacking of high ranking officials in critical sectors were a result of Russia’s favour to China. This is another set of content worth an article of its own, which I will not go into. Russia cannot die, because on top of its own military might which the West has downplayed, the fall of Russia meant a direct threat to China. And as Russia reciprocated in various manners, these non-financial favours are the most difficult to pay off.
Back to the main topic. As the US struggles to close the battlefront with Russia, Palestine (who is backed by Iran, who is backed by China, who owes Russia a few favours) jumped out. Again I am not saying this is the sole reason why Palestine jumped out suddenly. High level political decisions always aim to achieve a few objectives at one go. In this case, this is only one of the many reasons.
But one thing we can be sure of. US has made too many enemies, and none of them are willing to see it levelling up after swallowing down Ukraine and parts of Russia (not necessarily physical territories).
The North And South Korea Battlefront
In games when we form parties and raid the dungeons, there are always the stronger ones and those that have limited capabilities which we ‘carry’ (a gaming term). That being said, just because the weaklings are carried does not mean they can or should sit idly by while the rest fight the bosses. Everyone can and should contribute. That is the same for North Korea.
The war in Ukraine was primarily that of NATO’s fault. This we know so far. The direct threat is first to Europe because of its physical proximity and secondly to the US because it cannot be seen as not being able to take down Russia. For all the great hype about supporting Ukraine, and with all the inflated numbers pumped out (remember the above example on the Red Cross aid), the truth may very well be the opposite.
Nobody would have expected South Korea, a country far away from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, would be the largest ammunition supplier. The one who led the conflict (US) disappeared when it comes to aid. The one in the most danger (Europe) did not even bother to contribute as much. One could only think that South Korea was pressured by the West into sacrificing for their cause.
And that is why after Palestine jumped out, North Korea came out and declared the South as their biggest enemy right now.
South Korea is currently backed by the US. But given its own strength, it definitely would lose to the North in an all-out war. This declaration does not mean that the North intends to go to war with the South. Or rather, it is a threat put out to keep the South on their toes. This move would ensure that the South prioritises its own safety over Ukraine, resulting a further decline in support in the Ukraine battlefront. This achieves 2 objectives: a smaller ‘battlefront’ opening up in East Asia which the US has to monitor and prepare for even though there is no real need to send resources yet, and a weakening Ukraine which harms US’ interests. Do remember that they have investments there which can only be reaped after Ukraine wins the war.
The Iran-Pakistan Battlefront
A few days later on 16 January 2024, we see Iran bombing Pakistan. The news outlets were in an uproar and all sorts of theories came up. But we look further. Iran bombed the outlawed separatist group Jaish al-Adl. Pakistan strongly condemned the action and retaliated – by bombing the hideouts of armed Baloch separatists in the Sistan-Baluchestan province of Iran. But at the same time they happily conducted joint naval exercises off the Persian Gulf. Would anyone conduct joint military exercise with their enemies?
Anyone with common sense will know both countries are helping each other to get rid of the thorns in their throats. No government would want to have an armed separatist group within their own territories. For all the on-the-surface quarrels and condemnations, both countries are more than happy with each other.
One may think, why would the countries not be able to remove their own separatist groups? Few reasons may come to mind. The separatists afterall, are their own people. Bombing their own people may come with certain negative connotations. However, it is more logical to think that the separatist groups have their own spies and informants within the necessary organisations, such that any plans of attacks would have been thwarted or avoided with minimal casualties. No prizes to anyone who could guess who may have been the behind-the-scenes support for these separatist groups.
A more stable Iran and a more peaceful Pakistan, both of whom are friends of China, is not a good thing for the US. As some leads the way in the frontlines fighting against the US, the others are also moving for their own benefits, little by little escaping the clutches of unnecessary interference.
Conclusion And Shift Of Foreign Policy Stance
Henry Kissinger believes it is unwise to make both Russia and China the enemies of US at the same time. That was why in the past, while the US has conflicts with both China and Russia at different times, they did not make enemies out of both of them at the same time. However, as Henry Kissinger grew old and subsequently has lesser influence in the political circle, his words were not taken into much consideration. Even Donald Trump had the sense to be friends with Russia while pissing off China. But Biden happily challenges Russia, China and Iran at the same time.
We all know what happened to Tony Stark’s house after that. We do not know how well will US do against the rest of the countries, but we know that there is no plot armour in real life. At this time and in this year especially, one beacon of hope will shine especially bright in the US. For under the DNC’s control and under Biden’s administration, the world is in chaos, inflation runs at all time high and the US is at ‘war’ with everyone else. But elect the right person and he will Make America Great Again. Afterall, with his powerful negotiation skills, he can negotiate peace with Putin. He can bring the North and South Korea back to the table for peace talks. Even though there was a trade war with China, they were not really enemies (Trump just want money).
And it is the wish of other countries to see Trump as a president. A president who will sacrifice long term political domination for short term monetary gains. Just like how the US can interfere with other countries’ domestic affairs, so can the reverse happen.
