Webinar | ’Bonfires of the Tyrannies’: The CCP & Friends Ignite a Tanker War in the Mideast

Webinar to Assess Latest Instance of Xi’s Strategic Pyromania

In recent weeks, Iran’s Houthi proxies have engaged in a series of attacks against shipping in the Red and Arabian Seas aimed at damaging and/or seizing vessels deemed to have ties to Israel. In several of these actions, a U.S. Navy warship responded, in two instances drawing Houthi fire on itself. The prospect for a wider conflict in the strategic waters of the southern Middle East is real and growing.

Among other questions raised by these provocative actions is whether, like the invasions by the Chinese Communist Party’s “No Limits” partner, Vladimir Putin, in Ukraine and its vassals in Tehran against Israel – both of w;hich were preceded by consultations in Beijing, the CCP is not only a beneficiary of such disruptions, but their instigator.

This CPDC webinar assesses the nature of the warfare now taking place at sea; Iran’s direct involvement in it; the economic and strategic implications of the attacks on shipping – potentially far beyond the immediate region; the readiness of the U.S. Navymand military more generally to contend with yet another conflict; the likelihood that there will be more distracting, depleting and disabling “brushfires” ignited by the CCP in the days to come; and our options going forward.

Moderator:

- Frank Gaffney, Founder and Executive Chairman, Center for Security Policy; Vice Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China, co-author, “The Indictment: Prosecuting the Chinese Communist Party and Friends for Crimes Against America, China, and the World”

Panelists:

- Hon. Douglas J. Feith, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; author, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terror – Topic: “Situation Report: The Widening Middle East Conflagration – Who Benefits?”

- Captain Jay Bolton, Retired oil tanker Master; Maritime Consultant focused on the Horn of Africa and coast guard issues; former Tall Ships' Master; and Founder of the United States Maritime Foundation – Topic: “The Impact of Sino-Iranian Disruptions to International Shipping and Commerce in the Mideast and Beyond”

- Colonel John Mills, U.S. Army (Ret.), Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy; author, War Against the Deep State – Topic: “Another Tanker War with Iran: Lessons from the First One; What Should We Be Doing Now?”

- Captain James Fanell, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Former Chief of Intelligence, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Senior Fellow, Geneva Center for Security Policy – Topic: “The U.S. Navy’s Readiness to Contend with Iranian Terrorism at Sea; The Implications of Doing So for Deterring the CCP’s Aggression Elsewhere”  

- Dr. David Wurmser, Retired U.S. Navy veteran; former advisor to an Under Secretary of State, National Security Advisor and Vice President of the United States – Topic: “Countering Strategic Arson: The U.S. Government Must Treat Its Friends Better than Its Enemies.”