America’s Iran War

Those of us who have witnessed the Cold War era and its aftermath know it well that is only one thing that has defined the intent of the American wars. That is the American interests. The United States (US) is guided by its geo-political goals that are guided by the strategic implications in the long and short run. The Gulf War proved that oil and its control was at the root of the crisis that plunged the world into an abyss of economic and political uncertainty. The world is again at the precipice. The US has again plunged into the conflict that is going on between Israel and Iran. It is an open secret that the two nations have been engaged in hostilities for a long time in which there is an open violation of sovereignty. Iran’s nuclear capability has been the cause of conflict bringing the Middle East on the brink. President Trump had initially shown no eagerness to jump into the conflict but on Sunday the US jumped into conflict by destroying the Iranian nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. President Trump declared that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated and thereby warned that Iran must make peace now by terming it as the bully of the Middle East. It is pertinent to mention that the new Trump dispensation had claimed  that over the years the US had been embroiled in un-necessary wars and that it has drained its exchequer. As such the new American policy will be meant to look inwards and consolidate the American dream. Not only that, America First was being projected as the new normal in US policy. It witnessed the deportation of the people from various parts of the world back to their homes. It shattered many dreams and at the same time proved that there was no value for those professionals who have been instrumental in realising the American dream of free society and democracy making it a leading global economy. But in this new policy the world had a sigh of relief as it meant that there will be no US meddling. It is an open secret that the US is perhaps the only nation that fights its war on the foreign soil to achieve its geo-political and geo-strategic goals. The US meddling in the Israel-Iran war has proved that the US has not shunned its old policy of fighting its wars on foreign lands. This time the world has to be cautious as the global order is divided. On the one side we have the US-Israel camaraderie and on the other we are witnessing the consolidation of China, Russia and North Korea as another power centre. This re-grouping cannot be underestimated. The reason being the on-going Russia Ukraine War. Now the Israel-Iran War has opened another front. These conflicts will have devastating implications on international security and stability. What is important to internalise at this juncture is the timing of the US strikes when the global economy is already in the fragile mode. It will definitely have an adverse impact on the energy sector as the oil surge will be hurt the most. The reason being that the majority of the energy transfer takes place through the Strait of Hormuz that acts as the passage for the oil and gas transfer. For India this can impact LPG and oil supplies as the tensions in West Asia are entering a new phase in which it can be easily seen that the world is being led towards the energy crisis. India must wait and watch to uphold its national interests in this delicate game when the new geo-political permutations and combinations are emerging.