Thoughts on Vietnam, Russia, China

While the world is fixated on the Middle East another larger conflict is brewing. The conflict between Russia and China and Vietnam is about to explode. The oil-rich basin off the Vietnam coast has triggered military flexing. Russia has decided to align themselves with Vietnam even though last year the Vietnamese government kicked all the Russians out of Vietnam. Five years before that all the Chinese were kicked out of Vietnam. This conflict will no doubt change alliances for the next 50 years. The United States has a chance to regain influence in this part of the world. Today the Russian Navy is escorting Vietnamese drilling equipment made in Russia to the Nam Con Son Basin to drill for oil in direct defiance of the Chinese Navy.

Russia is not a strong ally of Vietnam. After all the Russians were kicked out of Vietnam and the ones who came down on yachts and were late getting out had their yachts sunk at the pier. Russia does not want those oil fields to get into Chinese hands. After all the Chinese are in an expansionist mode and cannot be trusted. Today China has to buy oil in the open market from the Middle East. The American fleet is 80 to 100 miles away from the possible conflict between Vietnam, Russia and the Chinese fleet. Neither the Vietnamese nor the Russians know exactly what our fleet would do if a conflict broke out between China and Russia. Subsequently there won’t be a conflict. Relations between Russia and China are rickety at best. Vietnam is playing off the Russians against China and no one knows how long this little game will last. The United States Navy is the wildcard in this conflict. RED CHANDLER Yuma