The United States is "ending an era of endless war," said Donald Trump, speaking to cadets at the West Point Military Academy. His speech has already been published on the White House official website. We don’t know what the audience thought at this moment. But it is unlikely that the future military elite of the United States will like such speeches. However, Trump is their commander in chief, and the orders of the boss must be followed. Riot has not happened yet.
According to the US president, his country does not want to be the "police of the whole world" and therefore will continue to adhere to a "new, sober course" to protect vital American interests. The keyword is sober. Obviously, Trump finally recognized the previous line to suppress the whole world inadequate. “But let our enemies know that if our people are threatened, we will never hesitate,” he threatened in the end.
And ... sweetened the pill. An astronomical $ 2 trillion has been allocated for a "colossal restoration" of the armed forces, the US president recalled. This stunning figure crowns a series of annual records when each next military budget exceeded the previous one. “We are building hundreds of new ships, bombers, fighter jets and helicopters, new tanks, military satellites and hypersonic missiles,” the sly man delighted the military.
A businessman and calculating politician, Trump knows what he's doing. Many of the military conflicts that America has fueled around the world are explained by the interests of the military-industrial complex. So explained to us by Soviet propaganda, the correctness of which over time was confirmed. But if the ultimate goal for the military-industrial bigwigs is money, then you can skip one unnecessary step. Keep your trillions and doctrines, Trump now says. In fact, the military-industrial complex gave a bribe. Bribed.
The reason for the abrupt change in the strategic line on the surface. Trump is ambitious and wants to surpass Barack Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize with a vague wording "for extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people." Is America’s way out of local conflicts a premium? Quite. Nobel is the dream of all the megalomaniac of the world, and Trump here seems to be no exception. This is personal. Another reason - to keep the whole world at gunpoint, Washington has no strength. Gotta leave.
This process, albeit not at as fast a pace as I wanted, took place throughout Trump's first term. The United States has reduced its contingent in Afghanistan, in Syria (although they have not left it completely and even try to "bull" there against our military), the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is continuing, and the forthcoming contingent reduction in Germany has been announced.
I think Trump was ready to act more decisively, faster, but he was hindered by the notorious “Deep State”, including diplomats and the military.
Of course, Trump did not conceive this desertion from world fronts today. For the first time, he talked about curtailing the US military presence even before he became president. Obviously, realizing that such superpowers as Russia and China could not be crushed by military force, all the same, other smaller powers were no longer too tough for the hegemon. The world has changed. You can still spend crazy money (their excess) on military programs, but the path to victory, if any, lies in other areas.
The success of Russian designers, who managed to create new types of weapons, which it is not possible to intercept with available means, contributed to a great deal to the realization of a new reality. Once it’s more expensive to fight, you have to put up, Trump was convinced once again. Moreover, American specialists cannot boast of such a thing so far. The tests of the hypersonic rocket, which the US president had recently boasted of, ended in embarrassment - they almost lost the rocket.
So now, as in the era of the collapse of the colonial system, the West and its quintessence - the United States - have chosen measures not of military, but of diplomatic and economic influence. Hence, in particular, Trump's insistent desire to see Russia again as part of the G7 flows, deciding through the exchange of interests certain issues. But Moscow is looking at an outdated format without enthusiasm. We drove through.
But on the economic fronts it will be hotter. The peak of the trade war with China is ahead, the harsh sanctions against Russia are already being discussed in Congress, and in addition, a number of countries, including allies, are coming up against their intentions to introduce the GAFA tax - "tax on Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple." In fact, a tax on multinational corporations with American registration, collecting their tribute from around the world. Apparently, these new forms of conflict will now come to the fore.
The riots taking place in the United States, and most importantly, the reaction of the majority to them, unmistakably indicate the deepest contradictions within American society, which can lead to the most unpredictable consequences. What even Vladimir Putin spoke about. Under these conditions, the military potential of the American superpower can become a threat to peace. That's what you need to think about.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.