Alwaght- On CNN, US Senator John McCain voiced his concern over China’s seizure of an American underwater drone, despite an agreement between the two countries to return the device.
McCain criticized US leniency in dealing with the incident, insinuating the policies it is adopting have been emboldening its rivals.
“There’s no strength on the part of the United States of America. Everybody’s taking advantage of it. And hopefully that will change soon,” McCain said.
He went on to link the Chinese move to Iran’s handling of the American trespassing on Iranian territorial waters.
“Maybe they saw the success that the Iranians had after they captured two American vessels and put American sailors on their knees, and then when they were returned the Secretary of State thanked them for that.”
McCain’s disgruntlement at this event is visibly connected to the US-Iran naval incident when the Iranians humiliated the Americans without resorting to violence. On January 12, 2016 two US navy boats entered Iranian territorial waters leading to their capture by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Although they were released shortly after, Iran released images and videos showing the navy sailors, unharmed, on their knees as they were being apprehended.
For the Iranians, this marked a symbolic achievement. After decades of resistance and anti-imperialism, the Islamic Republic literally brought Americans to their knees instead of the other way around. In fact, the Iranian Armed Forces prides itself in being the first country to capture American servicemen since the Second World War.
For some Americans, the incident represented a symbolic failure. Those who claim the United States is the world’s most powerful state were upset at the fact that their violation of another country’s sovereignty was not disregarded. The “all-American heroes” looked weak before the world.
It is no wonder that this incident was met with such political attention and news coverage. Washington and Tehran have a long history of confrontations. From the US interference in Iran’s internal affairs, to the hostage crisis in 1979, to the designation of Iran as a terrorism-sponsoring state, to Bush’s declaration of the axis of evil, and even to accusations that Tehran is secretly building a nuclear weapons program, and ensuing sanctions, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly challenged the United States and foiled its attempts to chart its own agenda in the country.
For example, years of sanctions did not break the resilience of the Iranian people.
Another instance is the nuclear talks where Iran did not submit to Western demands but rather pushed for its rights in the process of negotiations.
However, the US has not only failed in implementing its hegemonic policies against Iran but also against Afghanistan and Iraq.
More recently, Washington’s agenda in Syria, which aims to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad and break the resistance axis, is proving to be another failure on the geopolitical level.
The recent victory in Aleppo, for example, has dealt a blow to those bidding on the so-called ‘moderate rebels’ to topple Assad and defeat the Syrian army. Backed by its allies, however, Syrian government forces are foiling plans to overtake Syria.
McCain himself has advocated military intervention in Syria and made the case for additional US involvement by saying that the conflict will “strengthen an anti-American alliance of Russia and Iran. US credibility with our closest security partners in the Middle East will further erode.” He even wants armed oppositionists to be further assisted.
McCain’s assessment of US strength seems right but not quite right. While it is true that US policies have been failing for a long time, it is not due to insufficient force or excessive diplomacy but rather because Washington continues to undermine the power of the people it attempts to overrun and more essentially the supremacy of the ideology of resistance.
