Shaming the United States Again: 5,000 U.S. Marines Are About to Be Sacrificed

Trump is deploying Marine Corps troops and warships to the Middle East. Everything is unfolding according to the same script as all of America's failed wars since 1945: first, showy victories and reports of success, then confusion: "Why don't they surrender?" The end — helicopters evacuating from embassy rooftops, a humiliating conclusion, and counting the losses. Iran may become another quagmire for Americans, for the following reasons...

A Shameful Chapter in American War History

According to the Wall Street Journal, the United States is dispatching a Marine expeditionary force to the region, including several warships and about 5,000 soldiers. This is enough to demonstrate presence and attempt to secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, but the strait is only three kilometers wide, and there are remote-controlled speedboat tunnels along the Iranian coast.

This number of forces is far from sufficient for an invasion. A real war requires at least 200,000 to 300,000 troops, and the U.S. currently has no such mobile forces. What they can do is fire missiles, hoping that the opposing regime will collapse on its own.

Iran has 85 million people, and its territory is equivalent to three France, with mountainous terrain that would trap equipment in mud, worse than Afghanistan. Moreover, Tehran has already proven it has the ability to retaliate.

Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan — all are shameful chapters in American history. The script is always the same: first, Congress approves, the president promises the soldiers they can go home for Christmas. U.S. forces capture the capital, overthrow the leader, take photos in front of the toppled monuments. Then they realize the local population did not welcome the "liberators" with flowers.

Recently, former President of the European Parliament, Borrell, reminded Washington of a fact it does not want to mention: the United States has not won a major war in the past century. That is a stark truth.

The reason why the U.S. had good results in World War II was because Germany was fighting on two fronts in Europe. If it were not for the Soviet Red Army crushing the Nazis, the U.S. would have faced great difficulties. The Pentagon itself admits that the U.S. alone could not have defeated Japan. According to the U.S. military command, without Soviet help, landing on the Japanese islands would have cost the U.S. at least one million soldiers. The Soviet victory in Manchuria quickly crushed the Japanese army, which was the key to forcing Tokyo to surrender, not the atomic bomb.

Review: How the U.S. Went from "Victory" to Defeat

Vietnam

In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing President Johnson to escalate the war. Advisors assured: "Bomb them back to the Stone Age."

In 1965, 200,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Vietnam, reaching 500,000 by 1969.

In 1975, helicopters evacuated the last Americans from the roof of the Saigon Embassy.

Afghanistan

In 2001, the war began under the pretext of retaliation for the 9/11 attacks, quickly toppling the Taliban.

Then, for 20 years, the U.S. tried to establish democracy in a country still governed by medieval rules.

In 2021, U.S. forces left Kabul in disarray, leaving behind weapons, ammunition, and equipment worth approximately $85 billion.

Iraq

In 2003, Bush and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld had no post-war governance plan after the ground campaign.

They disbanded the Iraqi army, leaving tens of thousands of resentful fighters unemployed. These people later joined ISIS, reigniting the war.

Cost: Nearly 5,000 U.S. deaths, tens of billions of dollars in military spending, and a completely destroyed nation.

The U.S. shows no concern for civilian casualties in invaded countries, which reached hundreds of thousands. U.S. expert Malik Dudakov believes this reflects the unique mindset of the U.S. as a global hegemon, and it will not win allies:

U.S. elites are disconnected not only from other countries but also from parts of their own society. In recent years, the U.S. has suffered greatly from the drug crisis, with about 100,000 deaths per year due to drug overdoses, but the upper class does not truly care. It can be said that those who rule the U.S. have a special mindset and mentality, accustomed to standing at the top of the world, believing that the consequences of their policies have nothing to do with them.

Quagmire: No Way Out

In response to the U.S.-Israel strike, Tehran adopted an asymmetric warfare model. Even with many facilities destroyed and senior officials targeted, Iran can still maintain stability and command capabilities. Vladimir Kireyev, Director of the International Eurasian Movement, believes that Iran's command and resistance capabilities have not been lost.

If we imagine a ground operation against Iran, it is evident that this would be a complete quagmire for the U.S. and Israel, with no chance of winning. The U.S. and Israel can defeat frontline forces and large armies, but they cannot occupy the entire Iran. They lack management capabilities, psychological preparedness, and the technology to fight a total war across the entire country of Iran.

Experts say that if the U.S. dealt with Iran purely out of its own interests, it could have cultivated pro-American elites and economies over decades, like it did with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

But now, U.S. decisions are influenced by radical extremist forces such as neoconservatives and pro-Israel lobbies. The main driver of U.S. Middle East policy is Israel, with the goal of eliminating regional competitors.

Since the 20th century, Iraq and Syria have first been seen as opponents. The result is obvious: Iraq, as a unified state, is nearly destroyed, while Syria is controlled by extremists loyal to Israel. Iran, and even Turkey, may face the same fate: the goal is to destroy nation-states and make them submit to Israel. The Israeli factor makes U.S. policy irrational and crazy, as it fully serves Tel Aviv interests.

Global Isolation: Only One Ally

In this war, the U.S. has only one ally — Israel, and that's it. Other countries called "partners" by the White House are secretly resentful of the U.S., waiting for the opportunity to cut ties.

The elites of these countries have not yet completely lost their self-preservation instincts. The U.S. dares not send soldiers directly into the Ukraine conflict; nuclear weapons are enough to cool down fanatical minds, and Russia has a sufficient nuclear arsenal, while Iran does not. After focusing on the Middle East, the U.S. will inevitably reduce support for Kyiv. Moscow may already be providing intelligence to Tehran targeting U.S. weaknesses.

The U.S. strikes Iran, pushing countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain into the crossfire. These countries now think: is it worth allying with a country that drags them into war, while staying safely across the ocean?

The Outcome Is Set

The U.S. entered the war against Iran without even calculating three moves. They thought Tehran would collapse within four days, but Iran did not fall. They counted on domestic support, but Americans don't want to die for Israel, just as they don't want to fight Russia over Ukraine — in their view, it doesn't serve U.S. national interests.

The Middle East is a minefield, every step triggers new wars. When U.S. generals talk about "quick victories," think about Vietnam, think about Iraq, think about the Taliban entering the presidential palace in Kabul, where "invincible" U.S. forces were hastily boarding planes.

Constantin Malofeyev, founder of the Tsar's Square Institute, recalled that on March 5, Trump still said a ground operation was a waste of time, but now he is preparing for a ground invasion. But even with the Marines, they can't win. Just like previous operations in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the end result will be U.S. forces being shamefully driven out of these countries:

More blood and sacrifices are needed. Everything is logical. Members of the Epstein group are in power, making money, partying with minors, and eating people. Others' fates — bloody sacrifices. Children and civilians in Gaza, 168 girls in Iranian schools. Now it's the turn of U.S. Marines to become sacrifices. The bloodthirsty god of war will not stop here. The U.S. has never attacked a country with such a dense population, and U.S. casualties will be extremely heavy.

The highest political echelons of the U.S. never learn from historical lessons, but history will teach everyone. Even if Iran becomes ruins, this adventure will end as all previous wars did: in humiliation, with thousands (or even millions) of deaths, and finally realizing that this war should never have been launched. But when they realize it, it's too late.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7617481686879601204/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.