Osman Şenkul
With the recent arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle East, the number of US warships in the region has risen to 10. According to experts, if US President Donald Trump decides to attack Iran, he will have significant firepower at his disposal.
The number of ships in the Middle East is roughly equal to the number of ships the American forces sent to the Caribbean at the beginning of the year to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
On Wednesday, a US official announced that the total number of US ships in the Middle East was 10. This figure includes the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group, which has three destroyers and F-35C stealth fighter jets. There are also six other US warships operating in the region, including three destroyers and three littoral combat ships.
On Wednesday, Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform, ‘A massive fleet is heading towards Iran,’ adding, ‘Like in Venezuela, this fleet is ready, willing and able to carry out its mission swiftly and forcefully if necessary.’
‘Time is running out,’ Trump added, warning Tehran to ‘Make a deal!’ Trump has repeatedly warned Iran that the US would intervene militarily if it killed protesters, encouraging Iranians to take over state institutions by saying ‘help is on the way.’
According to ship tracking data, as speculation grew that the US could launch new attacks on Iran, another US warship arrived in the Middle East.
As shown by the MarineTraffic tracking site, the guided missile destroyer USS Delbert D Black passed through the Suez Canal on Wednesday and sailed towards the Gulf. It is known that at least 10 US warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, are currently in the Middle East. A US official also confirmed to BBC Verify that the aircraft carrier is in the region.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has also been deployed to the region. BBC Verify also reported that it was tracking a US Navy Osprey aircraft heading towards Oman in the Gulf. Osprey tiltrotor transport aircraft, which can take off and land vertically like helicopters but fly like aeroplanes, are known to be operating from the Abraham Lincoln. The ship tracking system shows that another American warship, the destroyer USS Delbert D Black, which was previously in the Mediterranean, is currently in the region.
Some analysts assessing developments in SpaceWar suggest that Trump’s rhetoric and the unusual deployment of US military assets to Iran’s coastline in recent days could indicate that attacks may be imminent.
As can be understood from this, the fact that, in recent months, he has set his sights on Greenland, kidnapped the President of Venezuela and his wife, dragged the Middle East into conflict via Gaza, and finally, in the summer months, threatened to attack Iran again, has led many international observers to comment that Trump is dragging the world into war.
Trump’s words regarding Iran were also quite striking: “I hope Iran quickly “sits down at the table” and negotiates a fair and equitable deal – a deal without nuclear weapons – that is good for all parties. Time is running out, this is really important!”
According to experts, these words were also the clearest indication that Trump intends to launch some kind of military attack in the near future if Iran refuses to negotiate an agreement on the future of its nuclear programme. This statement also reflects a notable shift in the White House’s justification for sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the region; anger over the deaths of protesters has given way to concern over the fate of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Activists also say that more than 30,000 people have been killed in the recent events in Iran. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said in a speech to the Senate on Wednesday that thousands of people had been killed and that the Iranian government was ‘probably weaker than it has ever been’ since the 1979 revolution.
Rubio said that ‘approximately 30,000 US military personnel are within range of thousands of Iranian one-way drones and Iranian short-range ballistic missiles’ and added: ‘We must maintain sufficient personnel in the region to defend against this possibility.’
Trump responded to these remarks by saying that if there were signs that Iran was planning an attack on US troops, he would continue to pursue the ‘pre-emptive defence option’ to strike Iran, adding, ‘They certainly have that capability, because they’ve stockpiled thousands of ballistic missiles.’ Furthermore, European diplomats were expecting a crisis to develop over the weekend and detected signs of concern in Israel about the scale of possible Iranian retaliation.
Ali Shamkani, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, wrote in a social media post in Hebrew that ‘Any military action carried out by America from any source and at any level will be considered the start of a war, and the response will be immediate, comprehensive and unprecedented, targeting the aggressor, the heart of Tel Aviv and all its supporters.’
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff also said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that an agreement must be reached with Iran: “The agreement is clearly about missiles. It’s about enrichment. It’s about proxies of non-state actors. It’s about Iran’s nuclear stockpiles,” he said.
Trump’s latest statements also indicate that he wants to restrict not only the remnants of Iran’s already fragmented nuclear programme, but also Iran’s ability to launch long-range missiles, which have always been seen as central to its military power. Trump’s remarks that Khamenei should step down from the world stage are also considered to be factors escalating tensions.
Following all this, Iran’s mission to the UN in New York said: “The US spent $7 trillion and lost more than 7,000 American lives in its most recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran is ready for dialogue based on mutual respect and interests, but if forced, it will defend itself and respond more harshly than ever before.”
Looking back at all these developments from thousands of years ago in the same region, it shows that the task Trump, who emerged as the leader of the world’s most powerful country, has undertaken is not something that can be easily accomplished with the most advanced aircraft, warships and missiles. According to the Old Testament, David, the founder of Jerusalem, defeats the giant Goliath with a stone from his sling during the war between the Jewish king Saul and the Philistines, and cuts off his head.
The story of this famous duel between David and Goliath on the battlefield illustrates that giants are not as powerful as they appear, and that those who seem utterly invincible can indeed be defeated. What is being conveyed here is that all the characteristics that make giants appear very powerful can also be the source of their weakness. Therefore, those who have the courage to face a giant that appears very powerful can sometimes prevail with a small strategy, an attack or an unexpected move; they can defeat the giant.
Today, particularly in Iran, these developments, which have exploded and are spreading eastward at an increasing pace, are also gaining significant strategic importance in the wake of Trump’s important statements, as well as the China-focused developments he has been keeping in the background for some time, especially the steps taken to squeeze Iran, now the only important source of oil after Venezuela, by this giant country. while, on the other hand, as developments unfold in the Middle East and Iran, high-level Taiwanese and US officials are discussing cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, technology and unmanned aerial vehicles at a high-level forum initiated during Trump’s first term. The US State Department praised Taipei, Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier, as a “vital partner” in the face of China’s increasing pressure on the island.
In other words, while China continues its talks with Russia, the US, which is exerting heavy pressure on Iran, its almost sole source of oil, is also clearly signalling that it will continue to increase its uninterrupted military support to China’s “eternal rival in the east” without wasting any time. In other words, “military manoeuvres” between the giant mainland country of China and Taiwan, a country that could be described as ‘miniature’ compared to the mainland and where separatists have gathered, are rising to the top of the agenda; so much so that some media outlets are reporting on mutual military build-ups. As the situation escalates to this point, developments between the ‘mainland’ and the “island” are brought to the agenda with references to the story of “David and Goliath”.
In fact, the tension between China and Taiwan, which has persisted since the civil war in 1940, was used quite effectively by the US and other Western countries, especially during the ‘Cold War’ period. However, despite the Communist Party’s rule in China, the capitalist transformation that gained momentum, especially after Mao’s death, softened this sore spot with dollars flowing into both countries. Wages and, consequently, prices, which were suppressed within a state-controlled economy in China, made this huge country considerably cheaper than other capitalist countries.
Of course, while the low prices within the country were of little concern to others, the low wages were considered a great ‘boon’ in the capitalist world. A highly educated workforce, working with complete discipline under both traditional and long-standing Communist Party rule, received considerably lower wages than their Western counterparts. In short, “My friend, this is a veritable paradise of cheap labour.”
Consequently, especially since the early years of the rise of digital technology, both mainland China and the island of Taiwan have become production bases for huge Western companies. This became the fundamental issue that Trump focused on, particularly after he was re-elected, and while these were being put forward in many areas, he took successive steps with customs tariffs that were always 25 per cent, and sometimes reached 100 percent.
Amidst these developments, China naturally evolved from being merely a source of cheap labour to becoming a major capitalist country with companies capable of competing with those of the major capitalist nations; in short, this giant country also became a giant rival. This situation inevitably led to a struggle in recent years, extending to restrictions of varying degrees and in different countries.
The activities of Huawei, Xiaomi, and other Chinese companies began to be restricted on the grounds of ‘espionage’ and other reasons, and restrictions were placed on the sale of certain products. In short, global capitalism did not want the newcomer, and this situation was becoming increasingly prominent, limiting it in different areas with different reactions. Of course, Chinese companies were not idle either, rushing into new markets and continuing to grow.
Recently, these tit-for-tat moves have intensified, with the capitalist world of the West in particular making extraordinary efforts to block the path of its new rivals. In particular, Russia’s isolation following the war in Ukraine and its subsequent rapprochement with China have drawn new lightning bolts onto China.
According to a series of reports published in recent years, while all this is happening, Western giants manufacturing in China are also accelerating their search for alternatives. According to a report prepared by the Rhodium Group, cited as a source in the news, US and European companies are shifting their investments from China to other emerging markets, with India receiving the lion’s share of this redirected foreign capital, followed by Mexico, Vietnam and Malaysia.
These companies are turning their backs on the world’s second-largest economy, even as its share of global growth continues to increase, highlighting how concerns about China’s business environment, economic recovery and politics weigh heavily on the minds of foreign investors. According to the report, the value of greenfield investments from the US and Europe to India has increased by 400 percent, while investments in China are no longer even recorded.
In short, as the capitalist world closes its doors to others as a ‘cheap labour paradise’ and evolves into a ‘paradise for itself,’ the capitalist world has naturally accelerated its search for ‘new paradises.’ The first examples of this are rapidly emerging in India, Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia, and now Venezuela, which is number one in the world in terms of oil resources.
Will they stop there? Of course not; capitalism, which strives to monopolise the market for its customers, must ensure that ‘everywhere is paradise’ for itself, especially the labour market…
All of this is explained, one after another, and of course Turkey has been waiting in the background from the very beginning. Labour is certainly quite cheap in Turkey, but is there no way to make it even cheaper? Of course there is, and we have already embarked on that path. For quite some time now, has the transport of so much cheap (free) labour from Sudan, Oman, Jordan, Yemen, Tunisia, Palestine, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Ethiopia been in vain? Of course not. Haven’t there been dozens of news reports about people coming from the countries we mentioned and being found to be working illegally? Of course there have been. These were merely the cases that could not be concealed.
In short, China’s decision to cease being a cheap labour paradise for ‘other capitalists’ as it rose to become the world’s second-largest economy accelerated the search for alternatives within the capitalist world, which had already been underway. We know, of course, that Turkey is among these candidates; however, in order for it to become cheap enough to compete with its rivals, pressure on trade unions is being intensified domestically, while at the same time, emphasis is being placed on increasing the influx of migrant workers, who form the backbone of cheap labour.
However, as we have all experienced and witnessed, different paths are being taken this time to divert attention away from the solution to the problem. While it is necessary to oppose becoming part of the cheap labour paradise, attempts are being made to keep this situation out of sight.
Every day on social media and in the news, photographs or video recordings of groups of people brought into the country and made to work for free are presented to the public in a tone suggesting, “Oh dear, secularism is slipping away” or “Oh dear, our country is being invaded,” in an attempt to divert attention from the real danger.
In reality, all workers, all labourers, are being pressured with the threat, ‘Work for this pay… Or else, those who will work for less will come flooding in.’ In response, both labourers and non-labourers are being frightened with ‘See, secularism is slipping away, our country is being invaded,’ ensuring that these people retreat into their shells and work for free.
What needs to be done, however, is for all workers in Turkey to stand shoulder to shoulder with these workers, who are forced to work for almost nothing, against the attacks that are turning the country into a ‘cheap labour paradise’ for capitalists and a ‘poverty hell’ for workers. Of course, those who should lead such a movement should be all sections of society that support labour, primarily trade unions and socialist parties, and ways to achieve the goal through solidarity should be sought.
To this end, we must not forget that David defeated Goliath with the power of his step, taken with the courage to “stand up” to him.