Chapter 698 Hunter and Prey (asking for monthly pass)
Another clear evidence of the decline of U.S. influence in the Middle East is the sharp decrease in U.S. military bases and military allies in the Middle East.
The original U.S. military bases in the Middle East either refused to be renewed or were forcibly kicked out after expiration, leaving only three U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
More and more Middle Eastern countries emphasize the Arab League and non-alignment, independence and independence!
The United States is also worried about this situation.
The U.S. military, the U.S. dollar, and the U.S. military are the three pillars of U.S. hegemony.
The United States has established various international rules and vigorously promoted this system and rules through the powerful US military, US dollar, and US military.
The Fifth Middle East War has shown that relying solely on Israel as a starting point is not enough for the United States to exert strong influence in the Middle East.
Why did the United States add fuel to the flames this time instead of strongly opposing it? Saddam understood that the United States was determined to take this opportunity to return the United States to the Middle East.
The person in charge of the military immediately said: "Congress is considering cutting the defense budget. If the resolution is passed, the military will face a very difficult situation in the future. Maybe we can find an opportunity to beat Iraq."
The current situation is very unfavorable to the US military.
The failure of the Vietnam War left the U.S. Army in confusion, as if it did not know how to fight, and it cost hundreds of billions of dollars. In the end, it staged the "Saigon Moment" and embarrassed the United States around the world.
Since then, U.S. military spending has hit new highs every year.
Faced with the Soviet Union's increasing pressure, the United States continued to increase its military spending, develop more advanced weapons, and equip more advanced equipment.
It was originally intended to give Libya a clean beating, but no one expected that so many warships and aircraft were lost.
Congress has always felt that military spending is becoming increasingly large, which is already unbearable for the U.S. government, which has an already sluggish economy and expanding fiscal deficits.
Last year, the U.S. military budget reached $325.1 billion, which has already been cut once by Congress. This year's military budget has been cut again, leaving only US$299.37 billion, a cut of US$25.73 billion.
Now there is news that Congress will continue to cut part of the military budget next year, cutting the US military budget to less than 250 billion US dollars.
This undoubtedly makes the US military uncomfortable.
Military spending is not only related to soldiers' wages, weapon replacement, base construction and maintenance, etc., it is also a business in the United States.
This cut in military spending is equivalent to cutting off the path to wealth for many people.
This naturally caused dissatisfaction among many people.
But now, voices about excessive military spending are mainstream.
The normalization of relations between the United States and China has been a huge boost to the United States, greatly reducing the pressure on the United States in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Moreover, the trade between the two countries has repeatedly reached new highs, bringing a large trade surplus to the United States every year. Cheap goods have also effectively suppressed inflation. Otherwise, inflation in the United States would be even higher.
And now the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union is improving, the relationship has been greatly eased, and the global situation is tending to calm down.
Therefore, the Congress did not accept the military's tactics in the past.
Naturally, the U.S. Congress does not want to continue investing money in military spending.
Cutting the defense budget is the dream of countless taxpayers and politicians in the United States.
But this is unacceptable to the U.S. military and domestic weapons and equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
American equipment needs to continue to be upgraded. How can Congress actually want to reduce military spending?
Bush frowned slightly and did not speak directly, but fell into silence.
Those defense suppliers who supported his coming to power are also worried about Congress cutting the defense budget. After all, the defense budget has been cut for two consecutive years, so they put a lot of pressure on him.
As an elite, he is naturally very aware of the current situation in the United States. There is no doubt that cutting the defense budget and investing more money in economic construction is beneficial to the United States.
But he had to consider the opinions of his sponsors.
Over the past decade or so, his family's oil business has naturally made a lot of money, but this does not mean that he can not rely on his sponsors and allies.
So he had already made a decision long before.
He knew that the only way to get Congress to change its mind was to launch a war!
However, he had to give the United States a sense of justice that could unite its allies and win support from around the world, lest the Soviets come to sabotage it or even intervene to disrupt his good deeds.
Moreover, this matter is not just about the United States paying. The United States cannot even contribute too much money. It must find ways to attract allies and the rich oil-producing countries in the Middle East to make them bear most of the military expenditures.
Therefore, there is a plan to add fuel to the flames.
Now, Saddam has stepped into the hunter's trap.
"Kuwait and Iraq have always had territorial disputes. The possibility that Kuwait will agree to be incorporated into Iraq and become a province of Iraq is very small. Judging from the current situation, Saddam will take action and launch an invasion of Kuwait. We are on good terms with Kuwait, and we have every reason to help them conquer the country. If Kuwait takes the initiative, that would be the best. Even the Soviet Union will not be able to say no." A consultant said coldly.
This is their plan.
Dig a hole and let Iraq jump.
Others spoke one after another.
It is not easy to accomplish this in the Middle East. It requires step-by-step planning.
If Iraq does not start a war, the United States has no legitimate reason to intervene.
If the United States has no reason to go to war with Middle Eastern countries, it will definitely not be as easy as launching an invasion war against Panama.
Panama has only one canal, but the oil in the Middle East is related to the lifeline of the world economy.
Besides, Panama is right under our noses, while the Middle East is thousands of miles away.
Only if Iraq invades Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, the United States can send troops to directly participate in the war on the grounds of helping friends and safeguarding their national sovereignty.
"What about Persia? What does Persia say? Are they willing to restore the Pahlavi dynasty?" An advisor talked about a key issue.
If the Pahlavi dynasty can be restored in Persia, then with Persia as a handle, all the problems encountered by the United States in the Middle East will be solved.
At that time, no matter which Arab country is in a mess, the United States does not need to take action. With Persia as a sword, it can easily punish the other party.
"They refused. They were very tough and thought there was nothing to talk about. They even asked us to hand over the Pahlavi royal family to them for trial." The person in charge of communicating with Persia shook his head and said helplessly.
"Damn it, they don't know how to live or die! They owe us hundreds of billions of dollars now!" One person couldn't help but curse.
In order to prevent Persia from losing the Iran-Iraq War, the United States provided a lot of help, not only unfreezing Persia's frozen assets, but also providing loans.
The result was good, I didn't expect the Persians to have such a bad temper.
They are so ungrateful!