The Grand Bargain

In order to stop, once and for all, "endless wars," it is necessary to strike a Grand Bargain across Eurasia and to restore high economic growth, without heavy reliance upon the petrodollar. The United States must initiate and oversee this Grand Bargain and should implement my American Prosperity Plan or a facsimile thereof. The prosperity plan is discussed in depth elsewhere on this site. What follows focuses upon the proposed Grand Bargain.

Benevolence is a crucial ingredient in achieving a worthwhile peace. Thus, the very first thing to do is to end the Iran War right now. That done, the rollout of The Grand Bargain can begin.  America must require that Israel irreversibly implement the "Two-State" solution according to a relatively short timetable and that the Sunni Arab States, especially Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, normalize relations with Israel according to a corresponding schedule.

Israel suffers from an acute lack of strategic depth; to live side by side with an essentially sovereign Palestinian state is risky for the Israelis. Israel and the Sunni Arabs are fearful of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies. Thus, the US, Israel and Sunni Arabs should form a Middle East Air Defense system and the Sunni Arabs should take the lead in preventing the buildup of a Palestinian offensive military capability.

Two massive education efforts are in order. The American public must be apprised of the true history of Persia and then Iran from the time of Cyrus the Great down to today. It must be shown how the Iranian people as a whole have been the protectors of the Jews and Christians and how they have sought good relations with the West. At the same time, the Iranian people as a whole must be shown that a magnificent economic future awaits them in the form of an emerging India-Middle East-Europe (IMEE) economic corridor.

The IRGC must be given a choice. Either reenter the comity of nations or face isolation. They can choose either the easy way or the hard way. The IRGC is a state within a state. Just as the Israelis should be required to abandon their pursuit of a Greater Israel, so too should the IRGC be required to abandon any designs to destroy Israel. Like Iran as a whole, the IRGC should be invited to participate in the new IMEE corridor, but only as a cooperative participant. If the IRGC refuses to cooperate, then it should be militarily contained and surgically sanctioned. It is vital not to sanction Iran as a whole. Rather, the great mass of Iranians should be assisted by every means, short of the use of force, to reclaim control of Iran.

Russia, Communist China and the IRGC have forged a deadly alliance. On top of that, China's GDP, adjusted for inflation, appears to be 1 3/4s larger than America's. Russia must be wooed toward the West. This necessitates forcing Ukraine to make major concessions to Russia. Above all, NATO must agree to cease expansion eastward of Poland. Russia, for its part, must renounce the goal of conquering the core of Ukraine. Economic incentives should be offered to Russia in return for disengaging from the war on Ukraine and from the IRGC.

The rollout of the IMEE will go a long way toward countering the expansion of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. The ultimate counterweight to an authoritarian China must be a revived American economy and an enduring, prosperous, morally upright America-led global alliance. The proposed American Prosperity Plan will enable the United States to exceed the projected growth of the Chinese. Also, it will be important to maintain America's lead in innovation and in being the most attractive economy for foreign investment. Since 2004, Beijing has insisted that its overall policy is "Peaceful Rise." America needs to hold Beijing to this, while carefully integrating them into the world economy.

If America will renew its republic and economy, including responsibly harnessing Ai, then it will surely be able to stand up to the Communists of China, until true democracy spreads from Taiwan into the heart of the mainland. Thereafter, America, China and mankind as a whole will taste the full fruits of the Grand Bargain.