I am one of the millions of people who fail to understand why conflicts are created and allowed to grow that often lead to anarchy, civil war and war among the countries.
If it is not
taken as ‘self-praise’, I can see several reasons why a blog written in June
2012 would still attract readers today. Looking at it critically—both its
strengths and weaknesses—I think its continued popularity is more about the
theme rather than the accuracy of the predictions:
1. It Addresses a Timeless Question
The opening
question—why conflicts are created and allowed to grow—remains relevant. Wars,
insurgencies, regime changes, and geopolitical rivalries continue to dominate
headlines. Readers searching for explanations often gravitate toward articles
that challenge official narratives.
2. It Captures a Historical Turning Point
The blog was
written during the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Events in Bahrain, Libya,
Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan were at the center of global attention.
Today, many people revisit early commentary to see who "got it right"
and who didn't.
3. The Arms Trade Remains a Hot Topic
My central
argument that major powers benefit from arms sales while conflicts continue, still
resonates. The world has since witnessed wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and
elsewhere, with defense spending reaching record levels. Readers often search
for critiques of the military-industrial complex, and my title is highly
searchable.
4. The Blog Raises Questions Rather Than Giving
Definitive Answers
I repeatedly
use phrases such as "one of the hypotheses," "one of the
conspiracy theories," and "it is believed." This invites readers
to think rather than simply accept a conclusion. Such content tends to have a
longer shelf life.
My title,
"US – The Biggest Arm Seller," contains keywords that people
frequently search: 1) US arms sales, 2) biggest arms exporter, 3) Saudi Arabia
weapons purchases, 4) Iran conflict, 5) Afghanistan and NATO Even after fourteen
years, search engines can continue sending visitors to pages containing
evergreen keywords.
I notice three shortcomings:
First, the article
relies heavily on speculation without citing sources. Claims about future
attacks on Pakistan and Iran, or military hardware being retained for future
wars, are presented without evidence, the time proved both correct.
Second, it
treats complex events largely through a single lens—great-power manipulation.
Local political, ethnic, sectarian, and economic factors receive little
attention, these also proved correct.
Third, some
predictions did not materialize. Pakistan did not become the next major target
after the NATO withdrawal, and several regional developments unfolded
differently from what was anticipated.
My overall assessment
is, the reason people still read this blog is probably not because every
prediction proved correct. Rather, it reflects a persistent skepticism about
great-power politics, arms sales, and interventionism.
Many readers
continue to ask the same questions today that I raised in 2012. In that sense,
the article has aged better as a commentary on geopolitical anxieties than as a
forecast of future events.
For a novice
blogger in 2012, it also displays something that has remained characteristic of
my later writing: challenging dominant narratives and asking uncomfortable
questions rather than merely repeating official positions. That is often what
keeps an old article alive long after the news cycle has moved on.
