Middle East & China

Hosted byJohn B. Wells

Middle East & China

About the show

Joining John B. Wells in the first half, CEO of Red Mind Solutions and retired Naval Intelligence Officer Frank Wuco discussed the situation in the Middle East. Wuco warned of a looming massive conflict that has been building for years between the Sunni and Shia in the Middle East. According to Wuco, Iranians granted Syria's leaders (the Assad family) Shia religious legitimacy, which in turn allowed Iran access to influence the rest of the region through Syria. Iran has much to lose if Syria falls, he explained, noting that the current proxy Sunni-Shia war in Syria is spilling over into other Middle Eastern nations, including Iraq and Lebanon. The Sunni extremists of the Muslim Brotherhood currently in control of Egypt view the Shia as a heretical sect of Islam, he added. Wuco also commented on the Osama bin Laden takedown, intelligence leaks confirming the CIA's role in aiding rebel fighters in Syria, and America's ongoing war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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In the final two hours, New York analyst and radio host Frank Vernuccio talked about the threat of Chinese espionage and cyber attacks. "Chinese espionage continues to loom as possibly both the greatest security and the greatest economic threat this nation has ever faced," Vernuccio said, adding that NSA Director Keith Alexander credited cyber attacks with causing the largest transfer of wealth in history. In terms of stolen technology, about $400 billion has been taken from the U.S. economy due to Chinese espionage efforts, he noted. As examples, he pointed to the W88 small nuclear warhead currently in the hands of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, as well as $2 billion worth of Boeing trade secrets critical to the U.S. space program stolen by Chinese-born naturalized American citizen Dongfan Chung. Vernuccio revealed that cyber attacks against the U.S. are up 1,700% since 2009 and blamed the Obama Administration for not recognizing the threat posed by China.

Perhaps even more worrisome is China's (and Russia's) military buildup. They have increased their armed forces to unprecedented levels while the U.S. has reduced its own military presence, Vernuccio explained. America can no longer protect its allies, he declared, noting that the Philippines recently discovered 7 billion barrels of oil under its territorial waters which the Chinese have claimed by naval force as their resource. In addition, China is fast becoming a power in the Caribbean, with major investments there, facilities on both sides of the Panama Canal, and a deep water port in the Bahamas, Vernuccio said. The Russians are also moving into that region, he continued, commenting on news of Russia's talks with Hugo Chavez and an undetected Russian nuclear sub in the Gulf of Mexico. Vernuccio attributed the incursion to deterioration of the U.S. Navy. The Chinese have more subs than the U.S. and weapons capable of disabling all the electronics on an American warship from several hundred miles away, he disclosed.

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