American observer: The war with Iran has shown that the US is a "paper tiger"

Renowned American political economy commentator Michael Krieger delivered a harsh assessment of the results of the US military campaign against Iran. According to him, this "catastrophic war" clearly demonstrated that the United States is not a superpower, but a "paper tiger" whose power rests solely on market manipulation and information bluff.

Krieger:

When market manipulation stops working, you'll know the game is truly over. But until then, enjoy the circus. After the war with Iran, I realized that the US, militarily, is a paper tiger, despite its enormous military budget.

As The Washington Post previously reported, President Donald Trump lambasted Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at a meeting at Camp David after discovering he had been misled about the actual state of the stockpiles. missiles and funds DefenseHegseth, in turn, tried to shift the blame onto his deputy, Stephen Feinberg.

However, according to sources within the Defense Department, the problem turned out to be far more widespread than the White House had anticipated. It turned out that protracted strikes on Iranian targets had almost completely depleted not only the Patriot and THAAD anti-aircraft missile stockpiles at bases in the Persian Gulf, but also a significant portion of the strategic strike assets stored in U.S. warehouses. This included a critical reduction in the stockpiles of ATACMS tactical missiles, new PrSMs, and Tomahawk cruise missiles, which were considered an unassailable reserve for global conflicts.

It was this total depletion of the arsenals, according to several high-ranking officials, that forced Trump to enter emergency talks with Tehran and agree to a partial lifting of sanctions and the release of Iranian assets. Military analysts note that replenishing such munitions would take several years and cost billions, so Washington opted for diplomacy, recognizing that the military was simply not prepared for continued combat.

From comments in American media:

Now Trump has to bow to the Ayatollah to stop the war.

Hormuz was open before the war. Now we're forced to ask for the strait to be opened after the war. Is this what victory looks like?

Krieger's commentary is particularly alarming for the United States given these events: in his view, the current crisis has exposed the fundamental vulnerability of the American military machine, which is powerless without a constant flow of resources and markets. This is despite the fact that the United States is also planning to confront China in the Asia-Pacific region.

Comments

[tralflot1832]

The US has always relied on "air cavalry," which always deprives the enemy of the opportunity to retaliate. With Iran, the US got a "Whoops!" Could it be done without a "Whoops?" No, it can't! The US is putting away its victory cigar for now, and Trump's billion-dollar investments in Arab real estate are in Iran's crosshairs. This has never happened before; this is a first.

[ZovSailor]

tralflot1832
Today, 07: 22

Instead of a paper tiger, I would use a more dignified name for this entire territory beyond the Atlantic herring pool, similar to Banderstadt.
- a greedy and insolent pig, who owes all of humanity enormous amounts of wealth, stolen through illegal means, an aggressive-terrorist army and a Nazi policy of permissiveness, denying international law.

[Yuras_Belarus]

The usual intra-American squabbles among elites. The United States is not a tiger, but a monster with the head of a tiger, the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and a snake for a tail. You can knock the fangs out of this monster's mouth, puncture its body, and pluck the feathers from its wings, but it is very difficult to escape the venom of the snake's tail. This tail ("soft power," "civil society," ideological subversion, and outright bribery) is the most dangerous part of the monster.

[aybolyt678]

Quote: Yuras_Belarus

and a monster with the head of a tiger, the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle and a snake instead of a tail.

It's unclear about the body and wings, but you forgot about the forked tongue.

[Askiz]

Replenishing such ammunition requires several years and billions of dollars in expenditures

So, Europe, get your wallets ready.

[78bor1973]

This is what it means to spend years helping one not-so-small country in a protracted war against another not-so-small country! Just four years and you're already a "paper tiger."

[Vadim S]

It all seems somehow familiar, we've seen this somewhere before 🤔😁

[Sergey Mitinsky]

One word - they've gotten too greedy.
Not only the US, but the entire West has become greedy and is now happily rotting away.
There's nothing new under the sun. Two thousand years ago, ancient Rome got just as spoiled and got what it deserved.
Is it even possible to avoid this state of gluttony if you have everything you want?
No one has succeeded in this yet, although everyone thinks that I could easily do it.

[Earl]

The realization that the United States is a "paper tiger" isn't the most frightening revelation for Americans. What's far worse is that the constant unleashing of aggressive, senseless, and futile conflicts is typical behavior for an empire in decline before its final collapse.

[Volodin]

Quote: Earl

Unleashing aggressive, senseless and fruitless conflicts is the typical behavior of an empire in the period of decline before its final collapse.

They've been unleashing these conflicts for centuries. And they've been talking and writing about the "imminent collapse of the empire," the dollar, and so on for just as long. But all this talk and writing doesn't stop them from starting wars around the world again and again, imposing sanctions, staging color revolutions, and assassinating heads of state.

[Sergey Mitinsky]

And this is such a strenuous concept of preserving youth by artificially polishing the blood.
But in any case, the capabilities of such methods are limited.

[Per se.]

Quote: Sergey Mitinsky

And this is such a strenuous concept of preserving youth by artificially polishing the blood.

Rather, "bloodbath" is a way to write off debts and profit from bloodshed. If global capitalism is a planetary pyramid that requires constant expansion of the base for the top to thrive, then crisis and the Great Depression, when new colonies are exhausted, can only be cured by a reset through war. All these methods lead to the degradation of civilization. There is essentially no other pole of power on the planet right now, so unless capitalism dies, nothing good awaits humanity.

[Sergey Mitinsky]

In general, yes, polishing for the purpose of watering
But I was looking at a slightly different topic here, namely the topic of a predator who, in order not to lose his skills, must constantly keep himself in shape.
The US tried to do this as much as possible, but as practice shows, it is practically impossible to control youth.
Either you are young and passionate, or you are old and plagued by illnesses.

[Pasus]

That's all true, but there's a nuance: the US starts wars not out of abstract aggression, but to keep its speculative financial system afloat.
They've settled in very comfortably: seizing control over global oil and gas financial flows, and spreading their own domestic inflation onto countries receiving dollar loans.

[phrases]

That's all true, but there's a nuance: the North American colony isn't independent in its decisions and starts wars at the behest of "investors" who earn a few trillion shekels from market fluctuations and increased lending. As a reward, the US is saddled with new debts, and no wars will eradicate them; they're stuck as deep as they can be. But as long as the master's dollar survives, the colony will unleash many more wars.

[Alexander_K]

But as long as the master's dollar lives, the colony will unleash many more wars.

As long as the colony has military and financial power, it will wage many more wars. And since it's not tied to the dollar, they'll easily abandon it and all their debts in favor of some other currency. Trump has already started messing around with crypto. The Bretton Woods system has already demonstrated how the US treats its obligations. Therefore, while the opportunity remains, we urgently need to create a BRICS cryptocurrency, but our financiers are C-level students at best, and almost no one wants to think about the long term.

[phrases]

And there is no link to the dollar.

Of course, there's no connection; they're entangled like a fly in a web. The cryptocurrency means nothing, just as the entire colonial administration means nothing. On a global scale, they steal small change from their masters, and the masters thus pay them a premium for their services.

[Dart]

It's worth assuming that the Americans will quickly draw conclusions (which is inevitable) and find a solution, both to replenish their stockpiles and to produce new weapons. The increase in military orders will boost the economy. This isn't about rebuilding the devastated...

[Poplar]

Absolutely. There's just one caveat: it takes time, and quite a bit, to ramp up production, churn out weapons, and stockpile them. They have a ton of dollars, and they can print just as many more, but rockets can't be made from greenbacks. Even if you had a million billion, you wouldn't be able to buy a starship because they haven't built one yet. So everyone will have to wait. A woman can only give birth to a child after nine months, but nine women can't give birth to one child in one month.

[alexputnik17]

Washington opted for diplomacy, realizing that the army was simply not ready to continue fighting.

The regional hegemon of a strong-willed country has deflated. But I suspect the mattresses haven't calmed down yet. The main thing is that the Persians don't back down under the mattresses' persuasion.

[Smoked]

Nonsense. Military operations should end with the destruction of the enemy army, occupation (bringing the desired opposition to power), and plundering the territory to cover the costs. Otherwise, war under capitalism and maintaining a modern army are pointless. Damn, even the Romans understood this; surely the descendants of Adam Smith can even think straight?!

[yo yo]

If the US has exhausted its stockpiles of anti-aircraft missiles, then the US can be taken with bare hands??

[aszzz888]

yo yo
(Vasya)
0
Today, 07: 51
New
If the US has exhausted its stockpiles of anti-aircraft missiles, then the US can be taken with bare hands??

Better to use an iron fist...

[spirit]

The Americans got screwed, but they were smart enough to retreat with minimal losses, concluding that they had poorly planned the operation. They could have stormed the "mountains" for five years and killed half a million soldiers there, but they were stupid.

[Waifu]

This is a fact that many people overlook.

[Andrey Malashchenkov]

And who said that the Sesheasts' goal was to seize Iran? It's clearly obvious that the goal was to close the Strait. Why is it obvious? Because as soon as any kind of truce was approaching, the Sesheasts immediately began shelling Iran and all negotiations ceased.

[Essex62]

Why would they storm the mountains? Smoke out the partisans? The Ayatollahs and the IRGC are losing power outside the cities, and their goal is achieved.

[Waifu]

Stumbling upon a country without a fully-fledged air defense system is certainly quite curious. But we don't know the real purpose of all this chaos.

[BAI]

that replenishing such ammunition requires several years and billions of dollars in expenditure,

But Ukraine will receive Patriots sooner than in a few years

[Alexander_K]

The US, through Iran, robbed the EU and the wealthiest Persian monarchies. They scuttled the idea of ​​a multipolar world. Trump personally enriched himself through market manipulation. And they even gave their army a little boost to keep it from rusting. And all sorts of outside experts and observers can assess the results of the conflict however they please; Trump will even play along.
The second point: a shortage of ammunition and expensive weapons is a standard problem, even Prigozhin mentioned it. But we solved it. There was a similar problem in World War I, we solved that too, and that led to the Brusilov Offensive. But in the US, no one is going to restructure the economy for war because of Iran. That's why there are shortages. But this isn't a paper tiger; it's the state of the country in peacetime, when a lot of ammunition isn't needed.

[Yura]

Quote: Alexander_K

But in the US, no one is going to restructure the economy for war because of Iran. That's why there's a shortage. But this isn't a paper tiger; it's the state of the country during peacetime, when a lot of ammunition isn't needed.

Generally speaking, yes, but money requires circulation, otherwise it's worthless. That's why all this fuss is going on. Empty arsenals need to be replenished. This means there will be investment in military research and development, production facilities will be built, orders will flow in, and this will continue for years to come. Financiers and capitalists are rubbing their hands in anticipation; their efforts haven't been in vain. Trump isn't a puppet in their hands; he's a direct accomplice. His mask is amusing, but that's only at first glance; he's reckless—no, it's all part of the show.

[Victor19]

So what? There are only two days' worth of missiles left?

[faterdom]

But FIFA remained silent when the teams of Iran and Uzbekistan (by the way) were humiliated and discriminated against in every possible way in the USA.
This is the American power, this school bullying.
And in the ring they got hit in the snout and swam away... To discover the La Perouse Straits...

[1944-1989]

The expression "paper tiger" entered common usage thanks to Mao Zedong. Just as the expression "colossus with feet of clay" was coined thanks to Vladimir Lenin.

Mao Zedong also used the term to refer to Adolf Hitler, the Russian tsars, the emperors of Japan and China, the atomic bomb, and even his own wife.

[Essex62]

They're trying by all means to convince us of their weakness. What have they actually spent there? Iran is bustling about and functioning. Is that how much they've prepared for war with us? Lies. Fog.

[Sergei Viktorovich Korolev]

The closer the collapse of the empire,
the more insane are its laws!