Hong Kong Hot Kitchen

The rumors surrounding the suicide of a sailor on the USS Abraham Lincoln are merely the tip of the iceberg, reflecting the waning strength of America's global military hegemony and the underlying, potentially serious crisis. While the US nominally possesses eleven aircraft carriers, only two are actually operational. These carriers are generally facing aging issues, and shrinking shipbuilding and maintenance capacity is becoming increasingly common. Trump's reckless ignition of the Middle East conflict has disrupted America's global strategic layout, creating a predicament of stretched military resources and making America's self-proclaimed "great again" impossible.

Iran is isolated in the Middle East, fighting a six-week war against the US and Israel alone, ultimately forcing the US to agree to a ceasefire and peace talks. The source of their confidence in this protracted power struggle deserves further investigation. Iran's retaliatory measure of blocking the Strait of Hormuz has prevented the Trump administration from achieving a swift victory, becoming a strategic weakness that the US has struggled to overcome. The superficial cooperation between the US and Israel has led to a protracted stalemate, directly impacting the success of ceasefire negotiations and raising widespread concerns about the potential for war to escalate into a world war.

Under the guise of peace negotiations, the US and Israel launched a joint airstrike on Tehran, the Iranian capital, in a decapitation strike that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and 40 other high-ranking officials, with the aim of completely overthrowing the Iranian regime. Iran immediately established an interim committee, blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and launched a full-scale counterattack, but found itself diplomatically isolated. Amidst this double blow of natural disaster and man-made calamity, Iran's future remains uncertain, oil and gold prices have soared, and the situation in the Middle East and even globally faces severe instability.

The US kidnapped the Venezuelan president to New York for trial, disregarding international order. The international community upholds sovereignty and justice, condemning this hegemonic act. However, some argue that using the guise of "justice" justifies rampant robbery. With the US midterm elections approaching, how will public opinion reflect this? Trump's bluff and plans to withdraw from multiple international organizations raise the question: is he withdrawing from the world stage or becoming even more reckless?

International law explicitly defines Russia as an aggressor, and the United Nations has repeatedly demanded its withdrawal. NATO and the US and Europe are merely supporters, not belligerents. NATO cooperated with Russia after the Cold War, until the Crimean War and the 2022 invasion. After ceasefire negotiations stalled, Trump turned to targeting Russia's energy revenues, demonstrating a "carrot and stick" strategy rather than replacing the arbitrators of the parties involved.

Ukraine has been able to hold out for four years thanks to a long chain of support from the US and Europe: Patriot air defense, HIMARS, ATACMS, and over €300 billion in aid, forming the structural pillars of its resistance against Russian forces. Without this chain, Ukraine would have struggled to withstand multiple waves of airstrikes and ground attacks. The conflict in Eastern Europe remains a stalemate; true peace requires security barriers and multilateral coordination, not a single summit.