Fragments of classified Pentagon documents leaked online in recent weeks may not carry the dramatic intelligence weight initially thought, they expose a steep decline in Washington’s global influence.
Even the American establishment could not deny this reality.
Several days after the Pentagon documents were leaked, the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news channel reported that while addressing the Baker Institute, the CIA Director William Burns said the US is “no longer the only big kid on the geopolitical bloc and our position at the head of the table isn’t guaranteed.”
Burns’ acknowledgement is clear indication that the US no longer has the required leverages to make its vassals in its traditional sphere of influence comply with its strategic geopolitical objectives.
Consider Egypt and the UAE, two countries whose regimes until recently dutifully obeyed Washington’s orders.
The leaks revealed that the Egyptian regime of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was planning to supply Russia with rockets and do so behind America’s back.
The fact that an unprincipled dictator like el-Sisi was trying to earn some extra cash on the side and score political points behind America’s back is not surprising.
Such conduct can be expected from ruthless opportunistic tyrants that the US calls its allies.
What is, however, evident is that the US lacks the capability to pressure el-Sisi’s regime into compliance.
Another military coup in Egypt will factionalize the only ‘reliable’ American ally among the Arabs.
It will also destabilize Egypt’s border with occupied Palestine where the illegal zionist regime is convulsed in internal conflict.
Such a development will also incentivize Russian involvement and potentially reignite a popular uprising which is likely to propel to power forces unfriendly to Washington’s imperialist interests.
These circumstances provide a confidence boost to Sisi’s regime to play a double game.
Even economic pressure by western regimes would be hard to apply against the Sisi-led dictatorship.
Egypt is in a disastrous economic situation, economic warfare tools like sanctions or withholding loans may very well push Sisi’s regime closer to China or can potentially lead to its collapse.
Such outcomes would further complicate America’s global standing.
El-Sisi and his henchmen know that their staying in power is vital for zionist Israel’s survivability.
Thus, no western political elite will dare compromise Israel’s strategic interests and seriously pressure Sisi.
Many western countries’ economic and political situation is quite unstable.
Thus, due to their internal dynamics, western political elite cannot afford to expose themselves to the zionist lobby’s pressure as it would jeopardize their own hold on power.
In UAE’s case, American leverages are also significantly constrained.
There is nothing tangible the US can offer to Abu Dhabi to end its intelligence and economic cooperation with Russia.
The rulers of UAE understand that Washington does not have the capability to topple their regime or impose sanctions that would affect their economy.
Global economic conditions are quite volatile, and Dubai has become an important trade artery for western economic activity in West Asia and North Africa.
If they pressure the UAE economically, western regimes would curtail their own economic and logistical standing in West Asia and North Africa.
Abu Dhabi also knows that it has the oil price card it can play against western countries.
The fact that regimes of no substance like the ones in Egypt and the UAE have the political will to disregard America’s interests is a sign that the world is undergoing significant changes.