Rightguide
Prof Triggernometry
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2017
- Posts
- 72,833
Now Trump is signaling that Cuba may be next. With Havana facing a severe energy crisis and deepening economic distress after the United States cut off its oil lifelines following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro, Cuba’s primary supplier, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are already in negotiations with the Cuban government, and Trump has said it’s “just a question of time” before significant change unfolds on the island.
On the global energy front, China’s vulnerabilities are laid bare. Reports indicate that China’s strategic oil reserves are under pressure, with imports and access potentially constrained by broader disruptions in the Middle East, especially around the vital Strait of Hormuz, as a result of the administration’s actions against Iran. While China has attempted to maintain supply channels, Trump’s posture and the conflict dynamics in the region place Beijing in a position where access to oil depends on stability secured largely by the U.S. military presence in the Gulf.
At the same time, Russian and Chinese military technology has been repeatedly exposed as inferior in recent Iranian engagements, shattering the aura of invincibility that Moscow and Beijing once projected. This undermines their claims about the reliability and effectiveness of their own defense systems. The stark demonstration of America’s technological superiority may, paradoxically, lower the risk of a broader world war and make a Chinese attack on Taiwan far less likely, as Beijing’s ability to project power globally is now in serious question, both economically and qualitatively.
Taken together, Trump’s approach, strengthening hemispheric ties, rolling back adversarial influence, tightening control over key energy corridors, and demonstrating military resolve, is not only protecting American interests but also forcing a realignment of global dependencies in ways that the United States hasn’t seen in decades.
On the global energy front, China’s vulnerabilities are laid bare. Reports indicate that China’s strategic oil reserves are under pressure, with imports and access potentially constrained by broader disruptions in the Middle East, especially around the vital Strait of Hormuz, as a result of the administration’s actions against Iran. While China has attempted to maintain supply channels, Trump’s posture and the conflict dynamics in the region place Beijing in a position where access to oil depends on stability secured largely by the U.S. military presence in the Gulf.
At the same time, Russian and Chinese military technology has been repeatedly exposed as inferior in recent Iranian engagements, shattering the aura of invincibility that Moscow and Beijing once projected. This undermines their claims about the reliability and effectiveness of their own defense systems. The stark demonstration of America’s technological superiority may, paradoxically, lower the risk of a broader world war and make a Chinese attack on Taiwan far less likely, as Beijing’s ability to project power globally is now in serious question, both economically and qualitatively.
Taken together, Trump’s approach, strengthening hemispheric ties, rolling back adversarial influence, tightening control over key energy corridors, and demonstrating military resolve, is not only protecting American interests but also forcing a realignment of global dependencies in ways that the United States hasn’t seen in decades.
