Prelude to World War III: The Rise of the Islamic Republic and the Rebirth of America

by James Rosone

  “With all due respect, Henry, the US does not need to lecture Europe on protecting itself. With the combined forces of Europe and the US, we can more than hold our own against the Russians. The Russians use quantity over quality, which is our advantage over them. Our weapon systems are more precise and we can do more with less,” said Chancellor Lowden.

  “That may have been true 20 years ago; however, neither of our countries have invested in new defense technologies, while Russia and China are now leading the world in that arena. A lot has changed. Look at this report here; the Chinese are already integrating robotic exoskeleton suits into some of their combat units. Neither of our countries are even close to incorporating this technology to the same scale they are.” The President brought a new set of documents up, showing the initial preparations the US was starting to make.

  “Because of these new developments, I have directed our military to begin a slow buildup; we are adding almost 300,000 additional troops to each of our military services. I highly encourage the UK and EU to begin a rapid buildup of forces as well,” said Stein.

  “Henry, I do not know that I can gain the needed support from Parliament to increase the military. I understand the threat; I am just not sure I can gain the political support to do what you are asking,” said Lowden.

  Blair concurred. “I fear I will have the same problem. England is struggling, and we still have an unemployment rate of nearly 18%. Paying for an increase in the military budget will be a tough proposition.”

  The President knew this was going to be a hard sell from the beginning. Knowing this, he had come to the table with several options. “Gentlemen, I understand the concerns and the problems that you all will face. However, if we do nothing, it may be too late to act. We need to take action now while we still have time, not wait until after we have been attacked.”

  “To help increase your own economic recovery, I ask that you review and approve the new US/EU/UK free trade zone that you see before you. We will remove any tariffs currently in place and ensure that this trade agreement does not outsource jobs away from our respective regions. This will enable goods, services and materials to be sold between our countries without having to pay an extra duty tax. I have also directed the US Treasury to offer 50 year, 2% interest loans for the sole purpose of rebuilding your militaries,” said Stein.

  There was a short pause as the leaders in the room looked over the information in front of them. PM Blair was the first to speak. “This trade deal is excellent news. I am also glad to see that there will be special provisions in place to ensure this is not used to outsource either party’s jobs, just provide tax-free access to goods and services. As to the low interest loans, I will discuss this with our defense minister…. This may be doable.”

  Lowden chimed in. “I agree Henry. I will work to have this treaty moved through quickly. As for the military, I will recommend we increase our reserve forces to 600,000 and then slowly start to convert some of them to active duty. We may need to rely more on your defense industry for newer equipment; France and Germany’s defense industry is limited in what we can produce right now.”

  Seeing that he had essentially gotten everything he wanted from the meeting, the President handed his tablet back to Monty and rose from his chair. “Gentlemen, I am glad we were able to clear a lot of these issues up. I believe we have a dinner to attend in a couple of hours. Let us break for some drinks and a lighter conversation before we eat and share some of this exceptional French wine.” The men all smiled; Stein always knew how to keep the mood in the room light.

  *******

  June 20th

  Washington, DC

  Oval Office – White House

  The Grain Consortium was really starting to take shape as more countries joined and food production continued to increase. Stein wanted to leverage the Consortium to ensure the world had enough food and to lower overall global food prices. During the Great Global Depression of the 2020s and early 2030s, close to 2 Billion people died from starvation when the global movement of food goods collapsed. When OPEC (and then the IR) placed a global squeeze on oil, raising the price of a barrel of oil to over $400, things began to break down fast. OPEC and the IR believed they could exploit their control on oil and gain an incredible amount of wealth from the West. What they had actually done was create a Global Depression and caused an interruption in the global supply chain; energy and transportation prices became unsustainable.

  However, by June 20th, there was plenty to smile about. Jeff Rogers stepped into the room and Henry stood up to greet him. “Mr. President, I’m proud to report that the Grain Consortium is starting to get up to speed. We have the food agreements in place with the EU and our NATO allies. We have cut off all food shipments to the Islamic Republic, and China has grudgingly agreed to our food proposal.”

  The President motioned for the attendant in the room to pour everyone a fresh cup of coffee. “Jeff, I’m always amazed at how fast you can make deals happen and get things moving. How do you do it?”

  With a smile on his face, Jeff replied, “Well Mr. President, running P&G has given me a lot of experience in how to establish a truly global supply chain and negotiate deals that are fair to all parties…I’ve also poached a lot of really good people from a number of Fortune 100 companies,” said Jeff with a snicker.

  “I anticipate that next year the GC will really start to hit its stride as the group begins to increase food production,” Jeff said, taking a sip of coffee. “I’m confident it will, and as the years go by, this Consortium will bring a lot of wealth back to our countries, and more importantly, to our lower and middle class workers.”

  Monty checked his tablet as a new message popped up. The intelligence reports of the Islamic Republics troop movements had finally come in. The President saw Monty had received a message and asked, “So--what news do you have for me?”

  Monty looked up and quickly said, “Sorry to interrupt, Jeff. Sir, we’ve gotten additional intelligence on those troops that were being moved from Southeast Asia to the Middle East. It appears the Islamic Republic has pulled them back to receive additional training. The Intel guys believe most of them will return back to Asia, though our sources have said some of them will stay behind,” explained Monty.

  The President had been concerned about the troop deployments, not knowing if the IR was preparing for a potential conflict with Israel or just moving troops around to consolidate their positions globally. He asked, “Did we ever get a full count on how many troops were arriving from Asia?”

  Monty looked down at the tablet for a second before returning the President’s gaze. “125,000 troops--our source said about 25,000 will stay behind after their training. It would appear they will be deployed to Iraq to receive additional training.”

  The President thought for a moment, then asked, “What training bases are in Iraq? What type of training are they receiving?”

  Checking his tablet again, Monty replied, “It appears they are receiving additional training in mechanized infantry operations in Anbar Province, and about 15,000 are going Balad for additional Air Force related training. That training is most likely being provided by the Russians. Our sources and analysts believe the IR is in the process of reorganizing their military force and working to unify their training and equipment.”

  Placing the tablet on the couch seat next to him, Monty continued, “Since we stopped selling them spare parts, they are having to reorganize their military forces with newly purchased Russian and Chinese manufactured equipment. Seeing that Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt primarily used American equipment, they have to replace virtually everything.”

  The President snickered at that. “It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next couple of years as parts for the JF35, F18s, F16s and F15s start to become scarce. It’ll get harder for them to properly field a military until they switch everything over.”

  Jeff rarely interjected in anything related to the military, but
at this point he added, “They may be using 3D printing to help with parts. If you have original parts, it’s not hard to develop a replica using 3D printing software, and the printers these days are exceptionally good.”

  The President thought for a moment, “I had not thought of that--you are correct Jeff. I guess we will have to factor that in.”

  Alliances

  June 2039

  Riyadh, Islamic Republic

  Imperial Palace – The Council Room

  “My Caliph, there is a problem that I must discuss with you,” said Muhammad bin Nayef, the Deputy Chairman of the Islamic Republic (he often went by “Nayef”).

  “What is so important that you must interrupt my studies, Nayef?” Mohammed Abbas asked as he looked up to see several of the other advisors and ministers entering the chamber.

  “Sir, we must find a solution to the food shortages the West has imposed upon us,” said Nayef.

  Talal bin Abdulaziz, the IR Foreign Minister, interjected, “I know we have discussed this before, Caliph, but the food situation is starting to become a critical problem. None of the EU countries will sell food products to us either.” He was clearly very angry at the situation.

  “Haven’t our economic ministers figured a way around this or figured out how we can increase our own food production?” asked the leader of the IR.

  “Sir, our engineers are working to increase the Nile River Delta area and increase the distribution of water to more lands, but it is a slow process. We have started construction of hundreds of bio-domes using the latest in genetically modified seeds to increase production. These solutions will work in the long-run, but they are not going to provide us the relief we need now,” said Muhammad.

  “Then some people will starve while others will not. Until the situation changes there is not much we can do but pray to Allah for his blessings,” Caliph Mohammed said with a bit of heat in his tone.

  Nayef saw that the Caliph needed to hear some good news. He hit a few keys on his tablet and activated the holographic display at the center of the table. Up popped the latest economic and military reports. If it was one thing the Caliph liked to discuss, it was industry and the modernization of the IR. “Caliph, the food situation is dire and as everyone has said we have solutions in development, but they will take time before they come to fruition. However, I would like to direct your attention towards the progress we have made with regards to the modernization of the military and the Republic.”

  “Thank you, Nayef. This is an area of great importance to the Republic. We need to build up our own military industrial complexes and secure new sources for weapons and parts. If we can do this and solve our food problem, then the Republic will truly be self-sufficient,” Caliph Mohammed said with some return to enthusiasm in his voice.

  Nayef continued, “We have been making headway with the Chinese. They are not happy about this new cartel the Americans have formed, but they are in desperate need for food, so they are going along with it for the time being. They have agreed to sell us additional weapons and spare parts if we cut them a deal on oil. I told them we will sell them all the oil they need for 30% less than market value, as long as they continue to provide us with weapons and, more importantly, 3D printing technology.”

  “The Russians have agreed to sell us their entire line of Armata armored vehicles. We are purchasing 3,000 T14C main battle tanks and 28,000 armored personnel carriers among other assorted vehicles. They also agreed to allow us to manufacture them under license; we are setting up plants in Riyadh, Baghdad, Cairo and other industrial hubs.” Smiling, Nayef nodded towards Muhammad bin Aziz, the IR Minister of Industry, to continue the brief.

  “The Russians have agreed to sell us 3,000 MiG 32s, and will also let us manufacture a large percentage of them under license; this will greatly bolster our aerospace industry. They have agreed to sell us their newest air-to-air fighter drones as well. These are much cheaper and easier to produce. We have agreed to purchase 4,000 immediately, so our pilots can begin to train with them. And once the factories are operational, we will start producing 1,000 new drones a year,” Muhammad said excitedly. “Muhammad, I didn’t know you were such a shrewd negotiator. This is an excellent deal. I am very pleased that you were able to secure the manufacturing licenses; it will not only provide highly skilled labor jobs, it will help advance our ability to design and build armored vehicles and combat aircraft…. How about food? Are they able to assist us in that area?”

  Muhammad relaxed a little as he said, “The Russians can assist us with minimal food this year; they are in the process of converting large portions of their newly conquered territory into farmland. We will make it through this year’s food shortages, but it will be rough.”

  “How is the training of the army?”

  “It is going well. We have instructed the Asian region to build up their regional force to 450,000 troops. The North African region is working to build their forces to 600,000 troops and the central region to 5,500,000 troops; most of the recruits are coming from the provinces of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It will take time for this force to become proficient. The Russians and Chinese have both agreed to send us 50,000 military trainers each for the next five years to integrate our forces into the same military doctrine as theirs,” said Muhammad.

  “Excellent. How has the integration of Iran been going?”

  “Rough in some areas and good in others. The military has been a big help in securing the country and ensuring it stays protected. It’s some of their former leaders that are causing trouble…not all of them are happy with the assimilation. The drafting of a few million military aged males will certainly help with integrating them into the Republic. If it were not for the military coup, this whole incorporation of Iran would have been a disaster.”

  “It would have been war. Who would have thought $5 billion NAD could have bought an entire country?” asked the Caliph with a snicker.

  Before the meeting ended, the Caliph wanted to make sure everyone continued to stay focused on the end goal. “Everyone needs to remember that despite our final integration of Iran into the fold, our ultimate enemy is America and Israel. You need to remember that no matter what your thoughts are on the Americans, they are fierce and ruthless in combat. Their individual military training is the best in the world--that is why they are such tenacious fighters. We need to train our soldiers to that same standard so they will not run during a battle but will charge right into it like the Americans. We can beat them, but we need our soldiers to be better trained.”

  General Rafik Hamza, the Overall Islamic Republic Military Commander, chimed in. “We recently had several thousand Muslim Americans immigrate to the Republic who had previously served in the American military. We are leveraging their skills and experience, along with our Russian advisors, to help modernize our basic training. The former Quds Force has also been instrumental. Surprisingly, there are some American companies that are also helping us in this area for a price. They are expensive but they are very good.”

  “This further reinforces my previous statements that the West only cares about money. They will do anything for money, even train their future enemy.”

  “Have we moved Allah’s Swords to Tanzania yet?”

  “Yes, they have been smuggled out of Iran and are now sitting in a shielded warehouse in the Tanzania Coffee House Company. They make regular freighter shipments to America, so when we are ready to move the devices, they should make it through the port security intermixed with the regular cargo shipment. They have a very dense lead shield, so they will not show up on any detention sensors or satellites. I have agents who will load them onto the freighters when you give the order,” said General Rafi, IR Special Operations Commander.

  “If we could work out a more coordinated first strike with the Russians and Chinese, the Americans would never know what hit them until it was too late,” said Muhammad.

  “In time, we need to create as much instability inside America and Me
xico as possible. The Russians have designs for Europe; we need to convince them that with America out of the picture they can do whatever they want with Europe. The same argument can be made with the Chinese, but they are going to need to know that we can play our own part,” Talal said.

  *******

  June 2039

  Beijing, China

  Imperial Palace – Central Military Commission (CMC) Meeting Room

  “What are the Americans trying to do with this deal? Starve us to death?” asked Zhang Jinping, the Premier of the People’s Republic of China.

  “Premier, the American President is working to reduce their debt, a debt which we hold the majority share of. Our country is becoming flush with cash and they are starting to buy more of our products again. All of this is good news,” said the Premier’s Senior Advisor Jing Xi.

  The Premier was clearly angered that the Americans had negotiated China out of $10 trillion dollars with the remonetizing of their debt. The US had also imposed severe tariffs on Chinese products coming into America, despite the free trade agreements previous administrations had signed. Now the US had co-opted other countries to join their Grain Consortium, further squeezing China. Though outwardly trying to remain calm, the Premier could not hide his ire; the veins on the side of his neck were bulging and pulsating with each breath. The middle of his brow furrowed involuntarily. No amount of “good news” was going to erase the perceived wrongs of the West.

  “This food cartel the West has formed is going to force us to play by their rules or they will simply cut off our food supply,” said Jing Xi.

  Premier Jinping thought for a moment before responding, “Not only do we have to pay an artificially high value for the food that we used to buy from them, we have to reduce their debt by 5% of the cost of that food. If our people were not starving right now, I would have half a mind to tell the Americans to go shoot themselves.”