TEHRAN— In his speech for the West Point graduates, the United States Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff uttered a bitter confession. Mark Milley said that the United States is not the superpower of the world anymore.

Although the words mentioned above are not direct quotes, this is the first implication we have from the U.S. general’s words. 

“The world you are being commissioned into has the potential for a significant international conflict between great powers. And that potential is increasing, not decreasing," Milley told the cadets at the 2022 commencement ceremony in West Point, New York.

He then went on to refer to the changes that are being made in the international arena. 

“And right now, at this very moment, a fundamental change is happening in the very character of war. We are facing right now two global powers, China and Russia, each with significant military capabilities, and both who fully intend to change the current rules-based order,” Milley added.

According to the U.S. Joints Chief of Staff, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is teaching the world that “aggression left unanswered only emboldens the aggressor.”

However, he refused to acknowledge that the U.S. war on Afghanistan in 2001 were not properly responded, and this led to the chutzpah of the Americans who invaded Iraq. 

On Thursday, former U.S. President George W. Bush condemned the “decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq”. Whoops! “I mean of Ukraine,” he added a second later, as laughter rang out in the room.

On the other hand, the Israelis are killing the Palestinians left and right, but barely any country responds to their atrocities. As the only regime that shoots journalists in the head, they have been “emboldened,” as Milley puts it. 

The U.S. general added, “Let us never forget the massacre that we have just witnessed in Bucha nor the slaughter that occurred in Mariupol. And the best way to honor their sacrifice is to support their fight for freedom and to stand against tyranny.”

The people of Iraq have been standing against tyranny since 2003, but the tyrants have not “entirely” left their soil. It takes some guts to utter these words with cold blood, but somehow, U.S. officials are that cheeky. 

Explaining the developments in the world, Milley told the cadets at West Point, “You'll be fighting with robotic tanks and ships and airplanes.”

He added that the world has witnessed a “revolution in lethality and precision munitions.” 

“What was once the exclusive province of the United States military is now available to most nation states with the money will to acquire them,” Milley noted, leaving out Iran, the country who has not purchased anything and has relied on its domestic technology to further advance its defensive equipment.

The U.S. general believes that artificial intelligence is “resulting in that profound change, the most profound change ever in human history.”

“Whatever overmatch we the United States enjoyed militarily for the last 70 years is closing quickly. And the United States will be, in fact, we already are challenged in every domain of warfare in space and cyber, maritime air and, of course, land,” Milley bitterly confessed. 

The confession, although uttered late, is still better than never. The U.S. has long lost its superiority and dominance in the world in various fields, such as military equipment, economic superiority, political dominance, and so on. However, the administration is still trying to maintain the master-slave relationship with most countries in the world. 

Perhaps Milley can remind Joe Biden that the master-slave relationship era is over. Diplomacy is the only thing that could prevail in the current global order, and if the United States wants to survive in this new order, it must stop dictating to others what to do and what not to do. 

Biden can start changing the U.S. attitude with the Vienna talks. If it agrees to stop dictating terms and making excessive, out-of-context demands, an agreement in Palais Coburg is closer than ever. 

There is not much time. Opportunities are like clouds. Seize them before they disappear.