The Great Power Strategy of Washington: Global Hegemony and Regional Control

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States became the sole superpower in the world and hoped to maintain and continue this unique position. Since 1991, the focus of American strategy has been to prevent the rise of any potential competitors, especially in the most important geopolitical regions such as East Asia, Europe, and the Arabian Gulf/Middle East.

The essence of this logic is that if no regional power or major power can dominate its own region, it will not be able to challenge America's global hegemony.

To implement this strategy, the United States adopted two policies in Europe and East Asia to weaken its potential rivals, but both ultimately failed.

One was in Europe, represented by the expansion of NATO. NATO expanded from 16 member states in 1991 to 32 member states today, with the aim of containing or courting Russia, or changing its political system. This policy included bringing European countries that were influenced by the Soviet Union before its collapse into the alliance, supporting and mobilizing pro-Western movements within these societies, such as color revolutions.

However, this policy provoked a strong reaction from Russia, as Moscow viewed the expansion of NATO as a threat to its survival, prompting it to restate its position. This eventually led to the 2022 war in Ukraine, although Western countries provided military, economic, and political support to Kyiv, the conflict still favored Moscow.

The Middle East: Resource Control and Imperial Expansion

The third strategic area of American hegemony is the Arabian Gulf and the broader Middle East region. Control over this oil-rich region has always been at the core of American strategic planning and has been a top priority, not only to control energy resources by establishing alliances and spheres of influence, but also to ensure that the dollar continues to hold a dominant position.

Since 1971, when the dollar was disconnected from gold, its status as a global reserve currency has depended on the recycling of oil dollars. Ensuring that oil is sold to major oil-exporting countries in dollars and maintaining the loyalty of regional regimes under America's umbrella is crucial for achieving this hegemony.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, America's foreign policy in the region took an ambitious path of reshaping society. The United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq under the banners of "democracy," "regime change," and "achieving global security and regional stability."

General Wesley Clark revealed in an interview in 2003 that after the September 11 events, the Pentagon had a plan to overthrow seven regimes - Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran - within five years. However, these ambitious plans failed in the deserts and mountainous areas of the Eastern Arab and Islamic regions.

Despite massive military spending and thousands of soldiers' deaths, the United States still failed in Iraq and Afghanistan. As chaos, violence, and failure spread, the dream of "re-shaping" the region according to the American model was shattered.

Sources: Al Jazeera + Electronic Website

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838251507801227/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.