By George C Michalopulos
We certainly live in interesting times. And nowhere are they more interesting than in the Middle East.
It should be obvious by now that these United States were pressured into war with Iran by the Zionist lobby. Indeed, “pressured” is not too strong a word; “blackmailed” and “threatened” might be more like it. Regardless, many in President Trump’s base view it as a betrayal of the highest order.
I can certainly see why.
Then-candidate Trump ran as the anti-neoconservative/anti-permanent war candidate. That, and immigration put him over the top, comfortably so, I might add. We can surely see other reasons which made his reelection possible. I, for one, am grateful that he was successful. I still am.
How can I say this? Because he actually did stop several regional conflicts, including in Gaza, the most horrific one of all. That said, when it came to Iran, he ran into the buzzsaw known as the Zionist lobby. We must be honest: this lobby has an iron grip on both political parties when it comes to Israel. Lest we forget, Trump wasn’t president in 2022 when Israel began its genocide in Gaza. As to the Left’s flirtation with the anti-Israel stances of the so-called Democratic Socialists, we can be sure that they will be whipped into shape in due time.
Admittedly, Israel’s stance in the American body politic is in the toilet. As for the rest of the world, it’s a bona fide pariah state. That doesn’t mean that the neoconservatives don’t have any tricks up their sleeve. They do. The most recent one being the danger of Muslim immigration. In some states, candidates are running against Sharia law.
This is not contained to America. In Europe, Israeli influencers are raising the alarm against Islam. Some are praising Christendom and white ethnonationalism. King Charles III, possibly the most Islamophilic European leader, praised Christianity during his recent address to the Congress. Weeks earlier, Vice President J.D. Vance extolled Christian values while in Budapest, campaigning for President Viktor Orban.
Why am I pointing this out? Because just a few years ago, any positive mention of Christianity or European civilization by any politician would have brought out howls of outrage from all the usual suspects. Now, we hear nothing.
Nothing that is, except how the West must do more to fight Islam. Even go so far as to send our sons to fight yet another useless forever war in the Middle East. This time against Iran. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire Knesset stood up and sang “Onward Christian Soldiers!” if that’s what it took to rouse us from our skepticism.
Like most Americans, I’m not at all happy with the present military campaign against Iran. Regardless of the depravity of the Iranian regime, I see our action as unjust. That said, I do see a silver lining. As I wrote recently in Helleniscope, I predicted that Iran would gain greater control of the Strait of Hormuz and become the hegemon of the Middle East. By not losing, they can claim a victory. That appears to be happening as we speak.
While this appears to be a military defeat for the United States, it’s not a geostrategic defeat. America does not need oil from the Middle East; thus, it can safely decamp from that part of the world with little impact on its economy or its military standing. Lest we forget, under Biden, we left Afghanistan in a humiliating retreat. It was America’s longest war, and neither Biden nor the Democrat Party suffered any political consequences.
Enough, as they say, was enough.
I expect that when all is said and done, the American people will be more than happy to wash their hands of the Middle East and the “Greater Israel” project. While this will displease the tens of millions of Evangelical Christians, their political influence at present is at its apogee. Many are starting to question their heretical dispensationalist beliefs. And not a moment too soon.
Whether the Republican Party can survive the undertow of a military defeat remains unknown. As for the America First movement, it will keep growing. The question will be whether Trump can adjust his political fortunes in the interim. I believe he can. As to whether the Israelis will engineer a false flag to keep us in the region, that is another question altogether.
If so, like the present anti-Muslim backlash, such an action will be equally transparent and probably futile.
As Bob Dylan said several years ago, “the times they are a-changing.”
NC governor Josh Stein proclamation of Ramadan Observance Day.
https://governor.nc.gov/governor-stein-proclaims-ramadan
I agree with George’s premise. And I’ll explain why. But first, I want to point out that the caricature of a Jewish person, is unbecoming. The caricature could be seen as anti-Jewish, and much like Hitler’s Germany was circulating as propaganda. The fact that that person is pointing at the Twin towers, telling us that it was the Moslems that did it, could be interpreted as if the Jews had a had a hand in the destruction, to get America to invade Moslem countries. Conspiracy theories on such a likelihood have been rife. I will ask George to clarify and explain if that’s what his caricature implies.
Having said that, it is an undeniable fact that Netanyahou took advantage of Trump and Trump’s advisors, and pushed them into war with Iran. The circumstances fell togetther perfectly for Netanyahou’s final push to Trump.
Trump, an impulsive man, with little knowledge of history and not interested in familiarizing himself with the particulars of an area of the world in constant conflict, having whipped Venezuela with minimal effort and as an added bonus the country’s huge oil reserves, thought the same could be done with Iran. Netanyahou sold him the idea that the time is now. There were protests against the regime, America and Israel had bombed Iran six months prior, meeting weak resistance, and visions of a triumphal Trump, as a modern day Roman emperor, imposing his will on a country that has been a thorn on America’s side for more than half a century, Trump demanded total surrender, regime change and American supervision, maybe even turning parts of Iran into Kushner’s investment genius, and some additional Trump named golf courses, with the Iranian s turned into servants of the elite. .
Trump didn’t even wait for a response from Iran. Why should he? Netanyahou told him that Iranian leaders would be assassinated instantly, whoever took charge next would sue for peace and Americans and Israelis would go start taking Iran’s wealth.
Of course, it didn’t work out this way, as we know.
Butt its not the Jews’ fault or even Netanyahou’s. A nation would do whatever needs to be done to survive. IN 1915, the Luisitania was sunk, probably with British connections, to get America involved in WWI. In 1940, Churchill worked on Roosevelt for more than a year, to get America into the war. In every war, every nation looks for outside interventions. Israel is a tiny nation, surrounded by hundred of millions of potential enemies. The Jewish State was formed after the trauma of the holocaust. The Jews vowed that they’ll never let such a calamity befall them. October 8th 2023 was a watershed moment for them. They discovered that normality, as in pother nations eludes them. And, with an extremist, such as Netanyahou in charge, they have lashed out, awakening anti-Jewish feelings.
George says that he still approves of Trump, even after this Iran debacle. Trump’s base, reluctant to admit their great error in voting for a known swindler and prolific liar into office, are still approving of his performance.
Actually, what this situation proved, was that Trump is incapable of rational thinking. He believes that a twit, threatening to bomb “the shit out of them” as he threatened Oman the other day, acting as a bully in the school yard, taking advantage of America’s military might to prove himself as the dominant leader, not concerned of what it means for the nation of America, is exhibit number one of Trump’s unsuitability to lead any nation, let alone the mightiest nation in the world
First, stop believing that Trump is the problem. The liberaal democrats you so much “trust” are the same or bigger problem. AIPAC has bought both parties and rules DC. YOU ARE MAKING A MAJOR ERROR IN PLAYING THIS TUNE…
We are in the “era of the uniparty”. As a result of both parties serving Israeli interests, and other PACs such as the insurance, pharmaceutical, Wall Street, Military/industrial etc., distinguishing between Left and Right does NOT mean anything anymore.
WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK FIRST. AND RE-ESTABLISH A SYSTEM THAT REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE AND NOT THE OLIGARCHS.
REGARDING THE GRAPHIC MEME: Keep in mind the distinction between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. Most American Jews, many well-known names such as Noam Chomsky and Professor Jeffrey Sachs, are the harshest critics of Zionism. Also note that in Israel itself the majority of the people are supporters of the Zionist crimes of War and genocide. The most likely politicians to win and replace Netanyahu in the upcoming elections are worse than him in their support for the crimes against humanity Israel has committed.
Nick, thanks for the defense.
Bob, thanks for your response.
To all: I trust that the thrust of my editorial was not that AIPAC controls the GOP. It does. It also controls the Democrats. (Although here it is attenuating.) In other words, had Kamala won, we’d be right there. We cannot forget that it was under Biden that the Israelis began their genocide against the Gazans. We cannot also forget that the Biden administration egged on the Kiev regime to go to war against Russia.
Both parties are addicted to war. We can speculate why this is so. It will take years, decades even for the pro-Zionist virus to be purged from the American body politic.
As to the meme, I can see why it’s offensive. And probably unfair, as most Haredi Jews are anti-zionist. Still, it encapsules the idea that all of a sudden, certain pro-Zionist influencers are rattling the cage of Christendom in order to gin up hate against Muslims.
Personally, I wish I had expored the “need” for us to hate Muslims further.
George – yes, the religious Jews, the Hasidic, at least on the face of it, are anti-Zionists…
George. Thanks for your measured response. I agree that both parties are as lashed to Israel equally. The speculation whether Kamala would have bombed Iran, like Trump, is just speculation. We don’t know. But It is against her nature, to have done a Trump-like bombing.
Trump’s voters fell for him because of his promises of no war. Which is similar to what Kamala was promising. However, Trump’s voters should have known his history of lying, desperation to win the election or he would have been facing jail time, His acting on impulse and falling for leaders that indulged his narcicistic personality. Kamala showed much more maturity than Trump.
I also would disagree that both parties are addicted to war equally. Reagan, both Bushes and Trump initiated all notable wars after Vietnam. Obama preferred to negotiate with Iran and produced a treaty that Trump would negate, becausew of his childish character and envy of Obama. George is confusing the Gaza war as being Biden’s war. It is not. It was Hammas’s October 8th 2023 outrage and Israel responding. It was NOT Biden’s war. Netanyahou was going to strike back at Hamas, even if God himself intervened.
Bob, given Kamala’s own relationships with the Zionist lobby (as well as personal ones), we can reasonably assume that the Likudniks would have engineered a war between the US and Iran.
It’s not really speculation. Even a complete dove and pro-Palestinian president like Jimmy Carter was hoodwinked into hostilities with Iran.
Don’t fool yourself: these people are clever.
As to Trump, he did end seven military conflicts. As for the Ukraine, he and JD threw Zelensky out of the Oval Office in February and the EP in June. I admit, it wasn’t enough but it’s a start.
Based on the NSS of last November, I continue to remain hopeful. As far as Israeli control of our foreign policy, I continue to maintain that that whole “eternal victim” narrative is going to have to play itself out. It’s not what I want but it’s the only thing that seem possible at this point.