When you look at the history of American actions, or lack thereof, over the last few years, you can't come to any conclusion other than America is retreating from the world stage. We don't seem to have the will it takes to do the things that must be done to maintain our external and internal security.
Right after WWII we drew down our armed forces and put ourselves into a vulnerable position, thinking that our possession of the atomic bomb would deter any aggressor form threatening us. That turned out to be a short lived advantage as Russia was able to steal almost our atomic secrets and build their own bomb.
Then came Korea. A war we weren't expecting and not ready to fight. In that war , in the end, we had to settle for a stalemate because were unwilling to do the things that had to be done to achieve victory. That would have required that we stand up to the Chinese, something we were not willing to do.
Vietnam was next on the list. A war we should have and could have won, but were again unwilling to make the steps necessary to win. A war that dragged on and on to become America's longest war, being led by a bunch of people in Washington who had no idea what the hell they were doing. This was a war that could have been won decisively within a couple of years with a tenth of the body count that did occur, but our leaders were afraid and unwilling to commit the military to the task. The body bags piled up with the military hampered by decisions made in Washington that were driven by uncertain leaders. The era of instant communications had arrived and that allowed and encouraged the Washington brain trust, who had no military experience of any kind, to micromanage the war, as opposed to WWII where the goal was spelled out by the President but the execution was left to the professionals in the military.
The press, given free reign in Vietnam, as opposed the WWII, told a story that was one sided and definitely not favorable to the Americans fighting in that war. All the public ever saw was the sensational pictures that sold newspapers or ads on TV. It has been speculated, and probably true, that if the American press had been given the same freedom in WWII they were given in Vietnam, they would have withdrawn support for the war after the battle for Tarawa.
The American public was unwilling to back the effort necessary and the politician's reacted accordingly. We lost that one big time and left in full retreat and with our tail between our legs. The casualties and the waste of resources was all for nothing. Vietnam was one of the most shameful events in American history. We entered a war we were not committed to win, with no long term objectives fully in mind.
Then we had the Iran situation arise, where members of the American embassy were taken hostage after the invasion of American territory by the Iranians. By any definition that was a act of war against America. So, how did we react? We protested and wrung our hands. I can guess what would have happened if such an act had occurred under a number of other administrations. American armed forces would have been mobilized and Iran would have either had to release our people of face the consequences. At one time foreign governments did not mess with Americans-the consequences were too dire.
We did have a brief 12 year reprieve from a meek position under Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
Reagan stood up to aggression against our allies and the threat from the powerful Soviet Union. Reagan faced the Soviets and dared them to expand their empire. There is no doubt the Soviets yearned for the annexing of all of Europe into the Soviet Bloc. A strong U S military, rebuilt under Reagan, along with our allies, challenged that desire and finally contributed heavily to the fall of the Soviet Union and the liberation of a number of countries formally held hostage by the Soviets. At that time our allies viewed the United States as being trustworthy and would stand by them in case of trouble. That trust no longer exists.
George H. W. Bush put together a force and expelled the Iraqis from Kuwait after they invaded. But, he didn't pursue the defeated Iraqi army into Iraq and take on the problem of Nation Building, which would surely happen if he did. Again we stood up for our friends, this time in the middle east.
Why we invaded Iraq is still a mystery to me. George W. Bush was assured by the CIA and DIA that Sadam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction, but then so was Iran and North Korea. I suppose the reasoning was two fold. He felt that his father had not finished the job when he chose not to pursue the Iraqi forces and perceived that Iraq would be a threat to the Middle East if he succeeded. I'm sure that he nor his closest advisors ever considered the fact that if we overthrew the Iraqi regime we would inherent the long term problem of nation building. The President and his advisors were badly mislead on the mood in Iraq and probable consequences of deposing Hussein and his army, which what was keeping the country pacified.
We were overjoyed when we invaded and defeated the Iraqi army so decisively but, we were not really prepared for the reality of what would happen afterward.
George W. did recognized, a little late perhaps, the reality of the Iraqi occupation and increased troop strength in what's been called the surge. That worked. But, Obama proceeded to dismantle the occupation forces and encouraged the spread of insurrection in the area. Most of problems in the middle east now can be traced back to America's actions. First we destabilized the situation in the area and then we pulled back, leaving a highly volatile mess behind.
Now the US is faced with problems on the world stage with a President that is unwilling, unable, or naïve enough to face up to our growing list of enemies and their aggressive actions.
In the South China Sea on a speck of land, disputed by several countries, far from the borders of China, the Chinese have placed surface to air missiles and fighter planes. The facilities now function as a forward base for the Chinese military in a challenge to the US naval dominance of the Pacific Rim. And what do we do? Nothing.
We have supported Syrian rebels in their fight to throw off the dictatorship Bashar-al-Assad regime. The rebels were making significant gains in their fight against the government and looked close to overthrowing the regime. But, the Russians have entered the fray with significant air power and have propped up dictatorship. This war has sent a flood of refugees fleeing the war and is swamping neighboring countries and Europe by their numbers. At the same time there is a large ISIL force in Syria trying to expand their caliphate. We have provided limited air support to the troops fighting ISIL on the ground, but have not challenged the Russians at all in their very active support of Bashar-al-Assad. All we have done is wring our hands and tried to negotiate something with the Russians.
The Russians invaded and annexed the Crimea, taking it from the Ukraine by force. We wrong our hands but did nothing. Not even providing the arms to the Ukraine so that they had a chance against the armored Russian invaders. That bit of history has been almost forgotten with the sweep of other events.
The Russians then effectively split the Ukraine into two separate provinces. The eastern part of Ukraine being completely under Russian control. And what do we do? Nothing. We refuse to even supply defensive weapons to aid them in defense of their country.
Iran has repeatedly violated UN banes with a shopping spree for military weapons, development of a nuclear bomb and development and testing of ballistic missiles. They have acquired the S-300 anti-aircraft batteries from Russia and is negotiating another 8 billion dollar arms deal with them. What did we do? We pulled back after an agreement that clearly has no teeth and released100 billion dollars to them.
The United States is retreat all over the world, while China is advancing their dominance over the Asian rim, Russia is exerting her influence and domination over eastern Europe and Iran. along with Russia, are already in a position to dominate the middle east.
We still have the most powerful military in the world. But, I guess their purpose is to march in parades and do flyovers at football games. We certainly are not using our military might as a factor in the events that are taking place. If your enemy knows you won't interfere in their actions, then there is not restraint on what they can do.
And what does our President concentrate on? Climate change, Cuba and Gitmo.
