The war in Iran, what the US has failed to achieve, and China's gains

US–Israeli aggression continues to threaten Iran. Alongside its immense influence over the US, Israel—which has effectively taken US President Trump hostage—has not found what it hoped for regarding Iran and is eager to convince the US to restart attacks as soon as possible. However, things are not going as expected in the US. The US is not producing as much as it once did. Its foreign trade deficit, budget deficit, and total debt are at unbearable levels. Just as there are social fault lines within the country, there are also major cracks within the Atlantic system. US President Trump himself is scolding NATO member countries.

Let us refresh our memory; despite the US's great influence in the Middle East, the alliances that the US has insistently wanted to establish in the region have not materialized so far. For example, the “Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition” was established in December 2015 with the participation of 34 countries under the leadership of Saudi Arabia. It was not successful. Saudi Arabia led the structure, briefly known as the “Islamic NATO.” It did not continue. Again, under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, a military alliance with the participation of Gulf Cooperation Council members was brought to the agenda under the name of a Gulf NATO. That also failed. Again, under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, an alliance within the Arab League was proposed, and it was announced that Egypt would be the commander-in-chief. It failed. Let us also not forget the tensions experienced between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

There is more. The US wanted to prevent the rapprochement between China and Russia. It failed. On the contrary, the relations between the two countries have developed and diversified even further. The US wanted to pull Russia to its side against China, or if it could not manage that, at least ensure that Russia kept its distance from China. It failed. The economic sanctions that the US implemented against Russia due to the Russia–Ukraine war, while also taking the European Union along with it, did not create the expected effect either. On the contrary, European countries entered an energy bottleneck. Their industries and economies suffered great damage. Despite all the support they gave to Ukraine, it has been seen many times that Ukraine has no chance against Russia. The US has realized that it cannot achieve in Iran what it achieved in Iraq and Syria.

The fact that US President Trump and his close associates frequently belittle the European Union, which they call a “decrepit, obsolete organization,” mock European leaders, and interfere in the domestic politics of European countries has increased concerns in Europe. The number of European politicians saying that they can no longer walk the path with the US and cannot trust the US has increased. However, since European leaders lack the courage, determination, will, and self-confidence to say to the US's face what they say about the US and to implement what they say, their words were not taken seriously in the US.

It has been seen many times that the European Union cannot create a common defense and security policy and cannot establish a strong and deterrent European army. Europe, which has neither the courage nor the money for such a thing; Europe, which has entrusted its own security and defense to NATO, and therefore to the US, since the beginning of the Cold War; cannot easily get out of this situation. What supporters of the European Union do not understand is this: A power that leaves its own defense and security to the will, initiative, and mercy of another power—an organ in which it is not the sole decision-maker, even if it is a part of it, and especially where it certainly does not have the final say—can never be a global power, a superpower. The European Union is in exactly this situation.

THE LIMITS OF US POWER

There are, of course, other things the US has failed to achieve. For example, it could not prevent the expansion of the BRICS platform. It could not prevent the institutionalization of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It could not stop the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, led by China. It could not prevent China's growing influence in the Gulf, the Islamic world, the Middle East, and Arab countries. It could also not prevent China and Russia from supporting Iran.

It is not difficult to see the limits of US power. It is a state whose power is steadily eroding. Moreover, this situation is not new. The US's important ally, the European Union, has also been in economic and political decline for years. Another important ally of the US, Japan, is also weakening economically and in terms of production. No matter what the US does, it cannot prevent the search for a multipolar world. It cannot stop the rapprochements and alliance efforts in the Global South. While the US itself struggles to maintain its global leadership, military superiority, and dominant position on a world scale, it is impossible for it to prevent rival countries from coming to the fore.

TIME IS WORKING AGAINST THE US AND IN FAVOR OF CHINA

China is drawing attention not only with its economic power, foreign aid and investment capacity, and trade volume, but also with the increasing weight it has gained in global diplomacy in recent years. It is developing its relations with many countries in the Global South by trading, providing loans, debt, grants, and financial support, and especially by carrying out infrastructure projects. It uses its soft power more effectively. It takes cautious, careful diplomatic steps. It talks about developing new types of relationships with the countries it engages with, different from the relationships these countries have established with the West. It emphasizes the importance of mutual trust. It advocates mutual understanding, equal relationships, respect for internal affairs, and a win-win approach.

As a result of the US–Israel duo's attacks on Iran, this truth has been seen once again: The US is no longer powerful enough to regulate the world alone. Its economic, political, military, diplomatic, social, and cultural power is weakening. Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the important foreign policy and strategy experts of the US, had also drawn attention to this plain fact in his work titled “Strategic Vision.” He had stated that the US should cooperate with countries like Russia and India and help the European Union recover.

In conclusion, the US is an imperialist state, and it both struggles to accept that it is weakening and, while retreating, it burns, destroys, and knows no bounds in banditry and barbarism.