When it comes to the next war that the United States engages in, it appears that the government is experiencing a bit of flip flop syndrome. It is like a child who cannot decide what it wants. "Mommy, I don’t want war with North Korea anymore. I want to go into Iran…I mean Venezuela…no, North Korea is better…Wait…no, I want Iran." War is inevitable, and to appease the military-industrial complex, it is a necessary, yet imprudent, aspect of our war culture. We as Americans have been convinced that we must be the dominant empire and must dictate what other countries can and cannot do. It is just a question of where the next war will be, not whether one will occur, because not every country on the planet will roll over for its master. Will the next war be with North Korea, Iran, or Venezuela? Which one would you bet on?
Venezuela became the crowd favorite early this year because of the disaster plaguing the oil-rich South American nation. After years of economic mismanagement through socialism and the effects of American-imposed sanctions that were intended to coerce the current president from his position, self-declared president, Juan Guaido, attempted to seize power from the actually-elected Nicolas Maduro. This scenario would be like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declaring that President Trump was illegitimately elected and that she is the interim president of the United States. Then, most of the major countries around the world would recognize the Pelosi regime over the Trump one. This is ludicrous, yet, the United States and its allies have supported just that in Venezuela. The neoconservatives, like National Security Advisor John Bolton, have been waiting for the right moment to be able to justify military action. After the failed coup attempt by the American-backed rebels, it appears that the United States government may have to focus on another war front for now.
For the past several months, it has seemed like there would be some calm in the tensions between the United States and North Korea, but with the latest short-range missile tests conducted by the North Korean government and the seizure of a North Korean ship by the United States for an alleged violation of arbitrarily imposed economic sanctions, it is possible that war may erupt. North Korea seems like the least likely of the three locations for another war because President Trump may foresee a Nobel Peace Prize in the future, if he can successfully negotiate with Kim Jong-un. For Pete’s sake, President Obama won the prize once, and then he went on to bomb countries to the ground. As long as the United States is not willing to negotiate on nuclear weapons, there will be tensions in the region. North Korea will not give up its bargaining chip, especially after the United States broke its promise with our third contestant on the list.
Just like with North Korea, the United States’ bad relations with Iran goes back to the 1950’s. Iran became an American puppet state until its independence in 1979. Since then, the United States has considered Iran an enemy, and it has constricted the Persian nation with tight economic sanctions, military bases and war ships in surrounding countries, and military operations near its borders. Although Iran is far from a perfect or peaceful nation, it has complied with its nuclear obligations under the 2015 agreement, despite President Trump’s withdrawal. Iran wants peace with the United States, but the American government does not want this, especially war hawks like John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. After the United States government dispatched an air carrier and bomber strike group to the Strait of Hormuz upon unproven evidence that Iran was about to attack American forces in the region, the possibility of war became more of a reality. Are the war hawks in the government looking for a Gulf of Tonkin incident in the Persian Gulf?
In all of these regions, it will only take one wrong move to spark a military conflict. Based on their actions, our politicians seem more exhilarated at the notion of war than they do peace, yet they are not the ones who have to do the fighting when the time comes. Which country will become the next victim of an American invasion? Your guess is as good as mine, but one thing we can be certain about is that the United States government will not just sit by while any of its children misbehave. Another war is on the horizon, unless our politicians come to their senses.
Craig Peterson, Jr. has an interest in political topics, and while serving in the United States Air Force, he began to see things differently and question the policies of the government. He is the author of The Global Bully: How the United States has Supported and Committed Acts of Terrorism from the Cold War to Today and has a website that explores topics related to the book.
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