I could remember that early 2020 or late 2019 there's a report showing the U.S cutting their middle East section manpower by more than half as well as reducing budget by 70% so that Washington could be laser focused on China.
That shows just how much the U.S establishment needs to compromise on one theater of the globe to shift on another one.
Mind to remind you that the early 20s seemed like it couldn't be better for Washington. The Islamic State physical caliphate has been wiped out, the number of attacks by IS cells in the Badia desert has come to an all time low, while their franchise in Libya, Nigeria and Afganistan has been lying low.
While the Israel-Palestine issue was coming close into conclusion with the Abraham accords, everyone is just waiting for Saudi and eventually the rest of the Muslim world to accept an Israeli state.
There are still downs, like the defeat fall of Afganistan to the Taliban, but overall everything points out that the US has mission success and they could pivot fully towards the Asia Pacific.
Fast forward 2024. The Islamic State scored the highest tally in the Badia Desert last March, while their Afghan chapter successful strike Moscow, in the Sahel, the French are kicked out by populists loyal to Russia and now Timbuktu and Menaka are besieged by JNIM and ISGS while their Nigerian chapter runs rampage across Borno state in Nigeria.
And then Hamas-Israel which sucked whatever credibility tge West has left trying to defend israel. Now news has come up that Israel is planning to go after Lebanon (and Hezbollah) .
Russia is currently winning in Ukraine and victory prospects has never so bleak add that to the political instability leading to November election.
And there are people who still thinks that the U.S simply has the resources to handle multiple hot spots in at least 3 continents. Some even say comically laughable statements like "just give Ukraine the weapons it wants" LMAO.
For every bullet the US send to Ukraine or Israel, that is one less bullet for the upcoming china fight. And the Americans are well aware of this. That's just the bullet, we have yet to talk about the bill. Like I said, in their effort to pivot towards China, Jake Sullivan skin their ME section of the NSC to a mere skeleton. Now the US is facing 3 foes at the same time which btw are currently winning like in the case of Russia in Ukraine or the JNIM/ISGS in the Sahel.
If you are a country that built your 'toughness' on the back of American power, (talking to you Poland, Czechia, Lithuania) you basically running out of time. Yes we know you are NATO, but NATO at the end of the day rests on the U.S ability to clean your shit when SHTF on Europe. There are circumstances beyond your control that could result in the U.S losing its ability or willingness to fight and that's it for you. Put the U.S out of the equation and we'll see Russia enters the Baltics, will emasculated Europe stand up and risk a long war (like in Ukraine) for a tiny faraway Eastern European country? Maybe if you're the Baltics or Poland. But likely not if you are Spain, Portugal or Italy.