Are Iraq-Afghan Wars Setting Stage For US Defeat In Final World Conflict?

By James Donahue

America has been drained of its manpower and resources in unending and unnecessary guerilla wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while events are unfolding elsewhere that may spark the final world conflict. If we have accomplished anything after nearly a decade of fighting, it has been to enflame the Islamic world and push chances for world peace even further from our grasp.

That U.S. and British forces, assisted by a few other participating nations, raided Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein from dictatorial power, did not prove to be a stabilizing action in that region. Now that the war is declared ended, with the last American “combat” troops withdrawn, Iraq today is a region left without a real government and standing on the brink of civil war.

The destruction of Hussein’s strong-arm government and withdrawal of American forces now leaves the door open for the three tribal factions, the Sunni, Shia and Kurds to renew an age-old struggle for power. What makes the Iraqi picture even more complicated is that the tribal division is even more deeply rooted than most people understand. There still exists in that area an estimated 150 tribal groups dating back to the time of the old Ottoman Empire.

The people of Iraq have already demonstrated that conducting democratic styled elections will not work among the Arab tribes. Thus without having another militant styled leader like Hussein rise to power and rule once more by force, Iraq must fall back into its original tribal territories or perhaps never enjoy a stable form of government.

The removal of Saddam Hussein also upset a balance of power that existed between Iraq and Iran. These two nations were either at war with each other or staring down their gun barrels at one another, thus, in a strange way, preventing either country from ever becoming a real problem for the rest of the world. Notice that now that Iraq has been left a crumbling maze of instability, Iran is rising as a new world power to be dealt with.

While Saddam Hussein never had nuclear weapons, and apparently was not even attempting to acquire them, the same cannot be said for Iran. That nation is openly building nuclear power plants and some world leaders believe may be only months away from possessing a bomb.

Israel, which already possesses a nuclear arsenal, is threatening to attack Iran before that country has the capability of returning a nuclear strike. The United States has pledged to defend Israel. Thus the Bush inspired war in Iraq helped put the ingredients in place for a very dangerous world conflict.

The problem now facing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is how to defuse this deadly situation before it gets worse than it already is.

US forces are concentrating their resources on the Afghan conflict which strangely leaves most Americans confused as to just who the enemy is. We went there to fight Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda terrorist organization following its attack on the United States on 9-11. But our military leaders apparently did not understand this new enemy, and chose the wrong way to go about attacking it. To this day all that we have achieved there is to uproot the old way of life in Afghanistan. We have never captured Osama bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda forces have moved across the border into Pakistan, and we have ended up at war with yet another radical Islamic group, the Taliban, which had nothing to do with 9-11. All the Taliban appears to want is to drive the latest invaders out of their territory.

Al-Qaeda, which knows no allegiance to any nation and is not confined to borders, has become a multinational, stateless army of terrorists. Its leaders call for a global Jihad against the Christian and Jewish states. They are skilled and ruthless guerilla fighters, willing to blow themselves up for their cause. Their strategy has been to carefully plan their attacks, then disappear among the many villages and farms, blending in with the natives.

While it is believed the plot for the 9-11 attack was hatched in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda also is known to be operating in Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Kashmir and Indonesia. This organization is a growing threat, difficult to flush out, and is a constant threat to peace almost everywhere in the world. Its objective appears to be to destroy all “infidels” who fail to follow the teachings of Mohammad. The irony here is that they, like so many other radical world religious groups, have strayed from the real teachings of that great prophet. Mohammad taught peace and love for our fellow man.  

Dangerous hot-spots exist in other parts of the world that cannot be ignored. America still has troops stationed in Korea, at the border between North and South Korea. The world keeps constant watch on the erratic activities of North Korea’s Communist dictator Kim Jong Il, who also claims to possess nuclear capability. It is widely believed that a transfer of power will soon be made to one of Kim’s sons, Kim Jong Eun. No one knows what changes will occur once this young man comes to power.

Somalia, Africa, is another nation filled with internal conflict that threatens peace and stability. It has been a perfect place for Al-Qaeda terrorists to set up operations, and is known as the headquarters for yet another terrorist group known as the al-Shabaab. It has been Somalia terrorists that have been conducting pirate raids on passing ships at sea. Neighboring Uganda now has more than 4,000 troops in Mogadishu to support Sheikh Sharif’s Transitional Federal Government, which appears to have no jurisdiction outside of the city limits. Uganda is negotiating with the United States for the financial help and weapons to supply thousands of more reserve troops for deployment to Somalia.

There is a civil war occurring right at America’s southern border as Mexican troops battle the powerful drug cartel. It appears that the cartel is attempting to overthrow the Mexican government. President Felipe Calderon, who launched the effort by national troops to curtail the illicit drug production and trafficking into the United States, says the cartels now seek “to replace the government” and are “trying to impose a monopoly by force of arms” and to “impose their own laws.”

There are serious conflicts occurring in the southeastern corners of the globe that rarely if ever make the news in America. Nepal has experienced ten long years of revolutionary guerrilla warfare. The Maoist Peoples Liberation Army toppled the monarchy there three years ago and appears to be in the process of bringing peace and a new form of government.

China remains an enigma to U.S. intelligence. While we have opened the doors for more and more commercial trade, and appear to be working politically and economically with that growing world power, there is rising tension as China, India and the United States compete for dwindling world resources and especially oil. In the meantime, China, which is a nuclear power, is busy building its military force and would be a serious opponent if U.S. forces ever find themselves in conflict with that nation.

Sadly our world appears caught up in conflict and chaos at what should be one of the most exciting and dramatic periods in human history. We have been making great advancements in technology and appear to be on the verge of improving the health and length of life for all. We are discovering new energy sources that promise to decrease world dependence on oil. Yet we also have the capability of launching warfare with these new technologies that threaten to lead us all into extinction.

Old antiquated religious systems have not only prevented the spiritual advancement of humanity, but have become so distorted in their messages that they have become the basis for extreme punishments, brutal executions and bloody conflicts. A radical Christian group in Florida threatens this very week to burn copies of the Holy Koran, an act designed to inflame the Islamic world and create more conflict than already exists.

Lastly, the quest for wealth and power has remained the catalyst for the political misdeeds of nearly all who rise to positions of potential leadership in every nation. Consequently we have become a world filled with humans, all involved in a struggle among ourselves for a piece of this wealth or perhaps a morsel of food so one might survive another day. How might we all look to an external Creator God, if one should exist, if He observes this malignant cesspool of maggots from above?

Indeed, Christian driven governments behave as if they would welcome a great world conflict. They have Armageddon on their minds because of a strange belief that such a war would force a messiah to return to Earth and save the day. What insanity lies hidden in this story?

The great danger for America in this world of conflict is that our adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the corruption within our own financial markets, have drained our coffers and exhausted our once great engine of war. As a nation we are no longer in a good position to defend ourselves from foreign aggression. And while we have been busy fighting an invisible enemy in the rocky hills of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, China, Russia and even North Korea have been steadily rebuilding their military forces.

Have we not foolishly set ourselves up for a final conflict that we cannot win? Are we not ripe for a fall? Not only are American troops off to fight on foreign soil, but the great industrial machine we once had has been farmed off to places like India, China, Indonesia and Mexico in a quest for low-cost labor. Should an attack occur, we must question whether the U. S. could rebound to build the tanks, aircraft, ships, missiles, bombs and bullets like we did during World War II.

Even our food, our electronic toys, cars, and communications equipment is manufactured and sometimes controlled from overseas.