Eastern Powers Align in Show of Force

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS!!! News
Mark Matheny
December 26, 2019

In what looks to be a show of strength against the Western powers, China,Iran and Russia are coordinating joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman, set to take place from December 27 to December 30.

The Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman, Wu Qian , stated that the Chinese Navy will be deploying its Xining guided missile destroyer -- nicknamed the "carrier killer" for its array of anti-ship and land attack cruise missiles -- in the drills. However, he did not release specifics about the amount of ships or personnel involved in the military exercise.

Iran's spokesman stated the exercise would be for "international commerce security in the region" as well as to "fight terrorism and piracy".

Back on May 8, 2018 President Trump pulled out of the "Joint Comprehension Plan of Action" also known as the Iran deal set under President Obama, setting heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The withdrawal by the U.S. has caused concern among Iran's officials due to possible impacts on Iran's economy.  

An article in the Atlantic Council on May 7, 2018 stated:

The uncertainty Trump has cast over the JCPOA since his inauguration has already deprived Iran of many of the economic benefits it had anticipated. For the United States to quit now would reduce, not increase US leverage and undermine sanctions as an alternative to the use of military force.
China, a rising great power, would likely be the biggest economic beneficiary and Iran’s strategic alliance with Russia would also deepen. (emphasis mine)

Trump has also decided to level the playing field with China as it relates to trade. Trump has always felt that China has been taking advantage of the U.S. causing big trade deficits upon the United States. Some of its effects of the Trade wars are economic tension in China as well. In the second quarter of 2019, China experienced its slowest economic growth rate since record keeping began in 1992. Although China has been strong in Infrastructure projects at home, they have cut down considerably on projects overseas.

The trade war has fostered international political conflicts, sucking focus and energy from the healthy, gradual development of resources and culture in families and local communities and transferring attention to the “eye-for-an-eye” global gladiatorial arena of historical grievances and economic retaliation. - Acton Institute

Not to leave Russia out, The U.S. has put sanctions on Russia consistently since Trump came into office. On December of 2017, the White House put out the "National Security Strategy of the United States" where they identified both China and Russia as adversarial to the United States. Page 2 of the report states:

 The United States will respond to the growing political, economic, and military competitions we face around the world. China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity. They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.

The report goes on to mention North Korea and Iran as well :

  At the same time, the dictatorships of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran are determined to destabilize regions, threaten Americans and our allies, and brutalize their own people.

Then again on January 29, 2018, U.S. intelligence officials came out with another assessment of Global threats to National Security, presented to Congress, Identifying cooperation between China and Russia as their top concern. In the forward, the report begins with: 

China and Russia are more aligned than at any point since the mid-1950s, and the relationship is likely to strengthen in the coming year as some of their interests and threat perceptions converge, particularly regarding perceived US unilateralism and interventionism and Western promotion of democratic values and human rights.

As China and Russia seek to expand their global influence, they are eroding once well established security norms and increasing the risk of regional conflicts, particularly in the Middle East and East Asia.

On page 5, the report goes on to say this concerning China, Russia, North Korea and Iran:

Our adversaries and strategic competitors will increasingly use cyber capabilities—including cyber espionage, attack, and influence—to seek political, economic, and military advantage over the United States and its allies and partners. China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea increasingly use cyber operations to threaten both minds and machines in an expanding number of ways—to steal information, to influence our citizens, or to disrupt critical infrastructure.

At present, China and Russia pose the greatest espionage and cyber attack threats, but we anticipate that all our adversaries and strategic competitors will increasingly build and integrate cyber espionage, attack, and influence capabilities into their efforts to influence US policies and advance their own national security interests.  

And of course we have Kim Jong Un back in the headlines just a couple days ago threatening to deliver "a Christmas gift" to the U.S. Christmas has passed however, with no follow through by the North Korean Dictator.  According to the Hill:

North Korea has set a year-end deadline for the U.S. to change its nuclear policy, and analysts have predicted a return to intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear tests if no progress is made between the two countries.

In the run-up to the deadline, North Korea has hurled insults at Trump, calling him a “dotard” and saying “foolish” U.S. actions have already helped it make a “definite decision” on its next steps.

President Trump is facing the Democrats and the Deep State here on our shores, as well as a growing threat from the Eastern powers since his entrance to office.