March 22, 2012 (Global Times)
As US aircraft carrier groups gather in the Arabian Sea, a showdown between Iran and the West is rumbling on. If a war erupts, this will be another upshot of the US pursuit of absolute national security.
Mainstream forces in Washington are trying to sell a ludicrous standpoint to the American people: that it is worthwhile to bear financial costs and even lose some lives to confront lurking dangers to US security in the Middle East.
This is not a rational analysis, but rather a pious belief in US politics. With an appetite for national security causes, the US becomes increasingly meticulous in eliminating potential challenges.
The US has somewhat defused two powder kegs in the Middle East: Iraq and Afghanistan. It also helped bring the fall of Slobodan Milosevic and Yugoslavia. Now it is preparing for a potential confrontation with Iran, and appears confident of another successful air strike.
Such a demonstration of armed might makes powers like Russia and China increasingly nervous.
By stirring up other powers’ sense of insecurity, the US is actually undermining its own interests. Its security paranoia instills many uncertainties into global dynamics and into the US itself.
If the West slides into a war with Iran, the damages will not be any lower than the potential threat of Iran’s nuclear power.
Perhaps the US is used to resorting to war to solve geopolitical problems. But many worry that such a mentality will sooner or later lead to a US clash with Russia and China. So far Moscow and Beijing are relatively restrained, though NATO seeks to expand its strategic presence in East Europe and US strengthening its military alliances in Asia. But the two cannot fall back forever.
For Beijing and Moscow alike, ties with the US have been stressful. The two don’t want to set off external doubts in their heated relations. But in both countries, an increasing number of people now advocate a Moscow-Beijing “alliance.” The two do have countermeasures against the US, and they are capable of deterring US allies. If they are really determined to join hands, the balance of power on many world issues will begin to shift.
Absolute security is a luxury that no country can afford. If the US unscrupulously imposes its own will and even forces Russia and China into taking action, global dynamics may go back to chaos over which the US will have little control. History shows that any power having an inflated ego usually ends badly.
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