U.S. fleet to Mideast, Russian advances accelerate.

 CAN EXPANDED WAR BE AVOIDED?

IS THE WORLD DESTINED TO SELF DESTRUCT?

The U.S. announced that 12 ships are being deployed to the middle east, most likely to the Mediterranean sea. It is likely that major action will follow, shortly after they are in position. At the same time Russia is advancing at an accelerated rate every day. Ukraine may not be able to slow this advance and will require some sort of collective action by NATO to save Ukraine. 

Israel's attacks on Lebanon and Iran can be expected to be followed by some response from Iran. It may very well be limited to an attack on a single person similar to Israel's attacks on the heads of Hezbollah and Hamas. It is doubtful that Iran will initiate an all out attack on Israel at this time.

The escalation of the war in Ukraine is going to have repercussions in the middle east. Russia has warned the U.S. that long range missiles and F-16's will be countered by supplying weapons to those now in conflict with the U.S. It is very likely that anti-ship weapons will become available to the Houthes and may also end up in the arsenals of other mideast actors. U.S. ships are going to be a major target of any increased hostilities in the region.

While the major countries of the middle east have been avoiding all out war, it now seems unless some serious change of direction, there will be a regional war that may very well spring out of the control of everyone. 

The tit for tat policies of the region have kept the region on simmer for a long time, It seems any diplomacy to cool this off is lacking with no resolution to this long standing crisis. A major war in this region will be hard to extinguish, and it will have world wide repercussion in the economies of the world.