Cold War, Part Deux
Politicians and Washington D.C. told us officially the 45 year long Cold War was over. The United States has a stand-off with the Soviet Union described as a conflict with Communism and a nuclear arms race. During this era, the U.S. government tooled and re-tooled foreign policy, economic competition, technology and the intelligence community. Proxy wars appeared and military tensions spurred yet more re-tooling.
So, here we are in 2011, successfully having finessed an occupational forces conflict with what once was the Soviet Union, and whew, we should feel great about that, but, not so fast.
Not only has communism resumed as a threat to the way of life in America and with her few allies, we must be smart and prudent to admit, there are other wars America is fighting in occupational operations, which by some counts range from three to twelve. Let us remember the Cold War was not an occupational conflict but more a stand-off of two world powers over a totalitarian state versus a Representative Republic and an arms race.
We will leave the debate over Marxism, Socialism, Islam and Communism versus a Representative Republic (U.S. Constitution) for another time. Instead the objective here is to target the arms race, the quiet Cold War Part Deux currently in place and those countries in the silent or not-so-silent war. However, we cannot altogether exclude those types of totalitarian regimes with their quest for, and existing possessions of nuclear weapons, biological and chemical weapons, but eh new type of warfare……Cyberwar.
This list of countries against our way of life in America and her allies is not comprehensive, but does include: China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, Venezuela, Syria and Algeria. We must also consider the Soviet Union enduring model which legacy is now part of Russia is back into the equation.
The Cold War ended we are told in 1991, but due to this argument on if it really did end, let us not forget the war/attacks the U.S. has included in recent history.
• U.S. Embassy Beirut 1985
• Achille Lauro 1985
• Pan Am Flight 103, Lockerbie Scotland 1988
• World Trade Center 1993
• Oklahoma City bombing 1995
• Khobar Towers 1998
• U.S.S. Cole 2000
• World Trade Center, Pentagon and Shanksville, PA. 2001
• Riyadh 2001-2003
• Cyber Attacks
o Google, NASA, World Bank, State Department, U.S domestic and foreign embassies, Commerce Department, Naval War College, Lockheed Martin
This list is by no means complete, but it does demonstrate a war against the United States. America is in war with herself over budgetary issues and deficit spending measured against weak revenues. We are still in an arms race, a technology race and a preservation race to keep America a strong and viable power. However, lawmakers and the White House are calling for additional spending cuts for the military beyond that which Secretary Gates eliminated to the tune of $400 billion. Is it logical then at the edge of a Cold War Part Deux, we allow the new Department of Defense Secretary Panetta and the Super Congress to yet gut the military spending by an additional $700 billion?
Are we prepared for this new era Cold War that may include Iran, Venezuela or Syria? America remains in a defense posture, which is not a viable strategy position in this second round of a Cold War.
Pray for Peace, Prepare for War