Previously in this series, I introduced a graphic that the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) uses to explain the activities that buildup towards open guerrilla/civil war. Although the activities in the lower levels are not prerequisites for those in the higher ones, there is a definite relationship between the levels. //

Now that we have explored some of the activities and their effects on other activities, let’s move on to another point of analysis, Cui Bono? Who benefits? This is especially important because as I mentioned previously, this isn’t your garden variety revolution with a single leader or even a group of leaders. Although it is possible that one or more of the scrawny pajama boys serving as cannon fodder, actually has visions of being the next El Che’. That’s about as reasonable as Governor Stacey Abrams.

So, back to who benefits. Specifically, which external actors will benefit the most. We’ll discuss internal elements following this piece. To be more accurate, we need to include those who believe they might benefit, even though they might not, or might not as much as they had hoped. We also need to understand that although multiple parties might benefit, that by no means implies that they all have the same objectives. The three major members in that particular category are all state actors with varying levels of overt hostility towards the United States. All three have dreams of hegemony over their area of the world and perhaps beyond. Iran, Russia, and China each have expressed to one degree or another their desire to acquire, or in the case of Russia, to reacquire control over territory not currently their own. Both China and Russia have made overt moves in that regard.