It would be very difficult to miss some of the global news headlines that have taken place in recent weeks. Devastation following Hurricane Dorian, the continuation of the Antonio Brown traveling circus, the resignation(or firing, we still aren't sure) of John Bolton as the President's national security advisor, and the burning of oil fields in Saudi Arabia which will lead to a spike in global oil prices. Quite a bit has transpired in a short period of time. I believe the most impactful for the everyday citizen to be the looming increase in oil prices.
Only a few days ago, oil fields in Saudi Arabia, which constitute a significant percentage of the global oil production, were simultaneously bombed. The attack was believed to be evil in nature and has been traced, albeit with less than overwhelming evidence, to have been orchestrated by an Iranian organization. The significance of this? The current United States administration faces a difficult decision in how to proceed. Saudi Arabia represents a prominent United States ally in the region, and the peace accord between the U.S. and Iran is less six years old. On the one hand, it is in the interest of the U.S. to protect its official ally in Saudi Arabia and in turn preserve the global economy from falling out of balance through the loss of natural resources. However, Iran presents a significant nuclear threat were the peace accord to be violated. It would seem the President Trump has taken an uncharacteristically passive approach to the situation to try and satisfy both sides. While this could be viewed as diplomatic, I believe that not taking a stance on an issue is far worse than allowing the situation to fall out of balance. I understand the delicacies of the situation and at the same time do not pretend understand the inner workings of every potential plan of action. With this said, I believe it would be of far greater consequence, not only to the U.S. but also the world, if such an attack goes without repercussions. Allowing a nation to do something like that cannot go unpunished. The rebuttal of the Iranian attack should not be military in nature due to the nuclear threat posed by Iran. The U.S. has already spent far too much time and resources involved in conflict throughout the middle east, and this should not be a reason to become overly involved in yet another. Further, a simple counter-strike against Iran's own oil supply would lead to an even higher spike in oil prices. However, the idea of sanctions being imposed on Iran by the U.S. and its allies may be a potential solution. This way, only the alleged attacker would suffer major consequences instead of the global economy, which may still take a hit due to the attacks and potential sanctions.
These events occurred after the departure of John Bolton as President Trump's national security advisor, and this is most likely for the better. Bolton is well known to be confrontational when it comes to matters that can be considered acts of war, and may have rushed too quickly to a militant recommendation. I believe the current political climate warrants a more delicate handling. Regardless, this situation is something that needs to be monitored closely in the coming days and weeks.
