Recently, the Middle East has once again been in the global spotlight, with a horrific attack that has shocked the world. According to reports, the U.S. military base in northeastern Jordan was subjected to a harrowing attack that resulted in the death of three U.S. soldiers and more than 40 people. This incident has brought renewed attention to the position and future direction of the United States in the Middle East.
Surprisingly, however, the United States, despite its usual assertive posture, showed a relatively low profile in the face of the attack. Although the United States knew all about the masterminds behind the attack, it did not immediately take drastic retaliatory action. This raises the question of why the United States did not dare to go to war against Iran, knowing that the Shiite militants it supported had attacked US military bases.
To understand the reasons for this phenomenon, we need to analyze in depth the strategic calculations of the United States and the evolution of the geopolitical situation. Looking back at history, it can be seen that over the past few decades, the United States has always been proud of its great military power and global hegemony. However, with the changes of the times and the adjustment of the global pattern, the geopolitical center of gravity of the United States has gradually shifted to the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the Middle East.
At present, the United States faces challenges and threats from many directions, the most important of which is the rise of China. In order to safeguard its interests and position in the Asia-Pacific region, the United States has had to redeploy its energy and resources, and its military deployment in the Middle East has reached the lowest level in history.
At the same time, Iran, as an important force in the Middle East, has a huge military force and independent research and development of advanced technology. What's more, Iran, underpinned by its religious beliefs, has inspired the armed forces of its army and militias to be extremely combative. Under the leadership of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Ali Khamenei, the Iranian people regard him as a religious leader with a strong will to fight and a spirit of resistance.
The U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a heavy toll and lessons for them. In the long-term security war in these areas, the US military has spent huge manpower and material resources, but it has achieved little results, and may even be counterproductive. Therefore, it is self-evident that the United States is worried about falling into a similar quagmire again.
With the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, the geopolitical landscape has changed again. Iran, as an important ally of Russia, has provided it with significant military assistance, which has further exacerbated the isolation of the United States in the Middle East. Faced with this situation, the United States has to respond cautiously to avoid falling into a full-scale conflict with Iran.
To sum up, the United States faces many challenges and tests in the Middle East. How to maintain influence and interests in the Middle East will be an important topic in US diplomacy and military strategy. In this process, the United States needs to comprehensively consider the global landscape and its own interests, and make prudent decisions to deal with the increasingly complex geopolitical situation.
The situation in the Middle East may continue to evolve over time, but in any case, the United States will face enormous challenges and tests. How to maintain influence and interests in the Middle East will be an important topic in US diplomacy and military strategy.