To what war was Trump referring?
In the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election, Trump's 'America First' policy spooked the Israelis because it reeked of isolationism and possible divestment from the Middle East. As everyone (or at least everyone in Israel) 'knows', if the US left the Middle East, Israel would soon be 'overrun by Muslim hordes' and left with little option but to use its 'Samson Option' and take as many of its Arab 'enemies' down with it.
These fears were assuaged, to some extent, by Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal, turn the sanction screws on Tehran, and move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Of course, these favors to Israel were, to a large extent, purchased in advance by way of a $25 million Trump campaign donation (the largest donor to any campaign in 2016) by Jewish casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. After Trump's election win, Adelson gave another $5 million to his inauguration, the largest single presidential inaugural donation ever made. According to US politician Newt Gingrich, Adelson's "central value" is Israel, and given that in 2013 Adelson said that the US "should drop a nuclear bomb on Iran", I'm inclined to believe Gingrich.
But Israeli pathological fears of abandonment by the goyim are deeply entrenched and impossible to dispel, and no doubt were reawakened by a November 2018 interview that Trump gave to the Washington Post. When Trump was asked about whether sanctions should be imposed on Saudi Arabia for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, he responded [emphasis mine]:
"I just feel that it's very, very important to maintain that relationship [with Riyadh]. It's very important to have Saudi Arabia as an ally, if we're going to stay in that part of the world. Now, are we going to stay in that part of the world? One reason to is Israel. Oil is becoming less and less of a reason, because we're producing more oil now than we've ever produced. So, you know, all of a sudden it gets to a point where you don't have to stay there."The 2003 invasion and destruction of Iraq and removal of Saddam Hussein was a plot hatched by US/Israeli Neocons to do away, once and for all, with (among other things) Ba'athism, an ideology that sought to unite several Middle Eastern nations under [nominally] secular, socialist pan-Arabism (a serious threat to Israel). While the chaos spread by the US invasion and occupation achieved that goal, it also opened the way for Iran to increase its influence among Iraq's Shia Muslims - who constitute 65% of that country's population - and who had been held in check by Saddam, a Sunni Muslim (Iran is 90% Shia). Over the last 10 years, this growing Iranian influence has led to increasingly strident calls from Israel for 'something to be done' about Iran.
In the last year we have seen repeated Israeli airstrikes on what are labeled 'Iranian military targets' across the Levant, including several Israeli airstrikes on Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, multiple coordinated attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf - which, though initially blamed on Iran, did not provoke a war because regional investigations 'proved inconclusive' - and what was likely an Israeli false-flag operation targeting major Saudi oil refineries (also tepidly blamed on Iran).
The primary reason for Israel's increasing anxiety about Iran is the significant progress that Iran has made in forming political and military alliances inside Iraq (a direct result of the Israel-inspired destruction of the country by the US) and across the wider region, and the fact that it is today the only country in the region with the human and military resources (and intent) to pose a threat to the Jewish state's desire for regional hegemony.
Recently released diplomatic cables dating from 2014-15 detail the extent of Iran's influence inside the Iraqi government, showing how Iranian intelligence officers have co-opted much of the Iraqi government's cabinet, infiltrated its military leadership, and even tapped into a network of sources once run by the CIA. In the 4-5 years since then, Iranian influence has only grown and, from an Israeli perspective, reached a 'red line' point where Iraq could be used as a staging ground for attacks on Israel.
Given this, and Trump's talk of there being "less and less reason" for the US to remain in the Middle East combined with the upcoming Iraqi parliament vote to officially demand the removal of US forces from the country, it's likely that the killing of Soleimani was a negotiated (by Trump) alternative to a relatively imminent, large-scale Israeli attack on Iranian assets in Iraq, and possibly Iran itself. Such an attack would have sparked a real war between Israel and Iran, which would inevitably have drawn in the US. This is, I propose, what Trump meant when he said that "we took action last night to stop a war."
In this scenario, public statements made by Trump administration officials that killing Soleimani was necessary to stop "significant strikes against Americans" in the region can be understood as necessary lies to cover up the truth: that rather than protecting its own immediate interests, the US government was acting to prevent Israel from doing something dangerously irrational that would threaten the lives of millions in the Middle East and beyond.
What US officials privately told their Iranian counterparts soon after the assassination fits this scenario. Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, told Iranian state television that "the Americans resorted to diplomatic measures" the very next morning. Fadavi said Washington asked Tehran to respond "in proportion." They "even said that, if you want to get revenge, get revenge in proportion to what we did" which makes the entire situation seem like something of a sordid geopolitical game. This evening, rockets were fired at the US 'green zone' in Baghdad. Perhaps that is Tehran's proportionate response.
Then again, it's possible that there is more than mere geopolitical pragmatism motivating certain members of the Trump administration...
Reader Comments
The millions who turned out to pay their respects to ''the general'' somewhat makes your point invalid.
An interesting question. Will the Corona Virus from China upset Iran? Nothing is currently being done to stop its spread in Iran. Do you think the Iranian people will like that?
And all the people cheering Soleimani's death?
Still, the flu and other viruses kill many all over the world every year. What do you suggest should be done about that?
Also, it is interesting I think, that you recognise the potential political capital inherent in the coronavirus!!! Yea, like ISIS and the like. What about them?
Reducing unemployment, increasing salaries, school choice, saluting someone with 4th stage cancer, withdrawing troops .. those were all subject that only got disdain from her
Even the opposition in Venezuela don't support Juan Guaido any more. He has no support in Venezuela.
(How the hell did I miss that six months ago?) (Add on/ edit: "I guess that time flies when you'rehaving fun? NO! When one's suffering and watching their country go to hell!)#2) Where have you been since then? Are you someone else here? E.g., B. Bub? One of the few things I'm certain of is that I know that you're not RC! Or, are you, ...for a laugh I could name some of our lovely femmes, but it would be misread.)
R.C.
Covid different--now being contained. they are importing vaccines and creating their own
It didn't work obviously.
Perhaps is was a sign of the extreme depravity of morally bankrupt america.... correct first time.
Trump was/is determined to get out of Syria. Israel and the usual war mongers in Washington were up in arms. So, after being checked into staying, he says the ''we are staying for the oil, we're keeping the oil.'' Talk about letting it all out?
The Iranian's have said that ''The empire might as well say goodbye to Southwest Asia.''
This assassination of Qassem Soleimani has all but made the US military presence in Iraq and Syria untenable. There is no political or public support for it within these countries.
So, if this is a move to get the US out of these countries, and Iran declares victory, Trump declares mission accomplished (IS destroyed), its a win win for everyone.
The sticking point here is, Israel will do everything it can to prevent this from happening, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Israelis were intending on assassinating Qassem Soleimani, or were actually responsible for it, and Trump took the blame to prevent an all out war? In any case, Trump is stuck with the devil (Israel) and still has the same problem. Unless he just goes for it, assuming he wins his 2nd term?
Israel Might Have as Many as 300 Nuclear Weapons. And Some Are in the 'Ocean.' [Link]
R.C.'
R.C. RC
Your analysis is based entirely on the assumption Trump was for once telling the truth when he said he was trying to stop a war. There is no proof, or even likelihood, that this was not just one more of his
dailyhourly lies and exaggerations.And if this motive in fact was the case, it is more than likely that the Israelis ("We're going to do it! Yes we are! This time we really mean it! We're going to start a war on Iran very, very, very, very soon! A really really bad war!!") were lying. Israel lies constantly, and for all Jews, the Kol Nidrei Prayer, enshrining their right to lie, is their most holy prayer, akin to our Christian Lord's Prayer.
Israel has managed through lies, fake intelligence, bribery, (aka campaign contributions from its agents like Sheldon Adelson,) threats and media assassinations, to manipulate the United States into being its bitch for over 70 years already. It is more than likely that this was just one more instance of that.
And if Iran should retaliate, and Trump should strike Iran, [according to his own tweet: ...."targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture "...] - note that what he is threatening falls under the definition of genocide - every Jew in the Knesset would wank their little circumcised putzim in celebration.
The inventor of psychology was Sigmund Freud, and the inventor of manipulating people's emotions was his nephew Edward Bernays, who himself characterized his own methods as "psychological warfare." Jews have been studying goyim for millennia, and IMHO, they have concluded that the best way of destroying goy civilization is to get them to destroy each other while G-d's Chosen People stand aside and watch with satisfaction.
I know for a fact that the Mossad fed false information to the CIA in weekly meetings at CIA facilities prior to the US invasion of Iraq. Some of these lies were famously quoted by Bush and Colin Powell. It is entirely possible that (Jews always being likely to keep on trying the same old tricks again and again until they blow up in their faces,) that this is exactly what happened again here. And Trump being what the politically correct Left would call "Intellectually Challenged," he fell for it.
There is an unspoken rule in global politics that nations, who have immense resources at their disposal, do not assassinate each other's leaders. Nothing would be easier for a government to do, and so the leaders respect each other's right to life and safety, and while they may conduct murders of lesser actors, and attack each other's infrastructure and citizens, they refrain from targeting each other. The idiot Trump, who is not only an idiot but a narcissist and a bombast and a bully, has crossed this red line. What happens next is anyone's guess. If this unspoken rule no longer applies, we could see leaders begin to fall like dominoes.
Consider this: The much-demonized Russia, or North Korea or China, could smuggle a 5-megaton nuke into Washington DC (aboard a small watercraft on the Potomac or in a panel truck) and detonate it two miles from the Capitol when Trump is giving his State of the Union speech. This would instantly kill every member of the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the Cabinet, the President and Vice President, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff of every branch of the armed forces. One member of the Cabinet, only, does not attend this speech, just in case of such a scenario, but he or she is probably not far away in Washington, DC, and would also perish. Who would order a counterstrike?
Now, one sees the danger of crossing this unspoken red line, which the cretin goniff Trump has just done, most likely prodded by Israeli lies and deceptions. Amongst the Goyische nations of the world, it is now open season on assassinations. Marvelous! Mazel tov! Just what the Talmud has always urged upon the Synagogue of Satan.
OK. Whatever. The point is, they were all lying Tribal Persons. The Synagogue of Satan, who is the Father of Lies.
USA beat the Russians in a firefight in Syria Feb 2019. 100 (at least) Russians killed.
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Wars are much better when only civilians and grunts get killed. Killing Generals just isn't done.
So who would fire nukes in a decapitation scenario? Well we have submarine nukes for that.
these lies only published in amerikan fake news media for dullards like you
I said that Freud is known as the father of psychoanalysis, which he is.
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But Scott Ritter is more correct about Iran's response: "a long, drawn-out, strategic defeat of the US in the Middle East."
Did the prospective impeachment vote in the senate give some Republican hawks leverage over Trump ... i.e. do this or we vote for impeachment
Dr. Dave Janda on SGT report - [Link]
War is a business that the military industrial complex rely on for their very existence.
All politicians are just their puppets at this stage, they dare not buck the system.
This law is still in effect, despite everybody's best efforts at ignoring it and expecting it to go away all by itself. And while ignoring it, be sure to reassure yourself that sneaky conniving politicians would never misuse such power because we all know that would be a bad thing to do.
America becomes ever-more mired in a DAFT war, which is never-ending and without limits. This war will end America, because America can't be convinced to stop the war (by repealing the law, obviously).
Repealing a law would be a huge political statement for peace. I think we should demand this of our individual politicians instead of aiming everything at Trump which is a ginormous waste of time.
imho
It got bush a 90% approval rating
and Clinton's attack on Serbia had amerikans celebrating
I found it curious again and again that after JVN developed the time machine for the Deep State, the safety of Swamp Alligators is being continually taken care of. Don't you find it strange that there isn't any Deep State high official being assassinated in this doctored timeline? I think, any hero military veteran daring to off current and near past Swamp Alligators is immediately corrected with the offed politically immune high official being restored to life in yet another doctored timeline: result is the hero is removed as if he & his team had never risen and we perceive an undisturbed continuation of the timeline, where the successful removing from the picture of - for example Cheney or Kissinger - is erased and the psychopath high official is alive and kicking.
Guess who ?
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Definitely since Trump regime laughably named Soleimani's Quds force a "terrorist organization," imo
The swamp king rubber stamped this murder
Democrat Senators Took Money from Iran Lobby Before Vote on Obama’s Nuke Deal — Iran Threatened to Out Bribed Officials
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Im trying to see how is he different from any other parasitic politician that is a puppet for masters in shadows. I see he only has a different rhetoric.
Also, I think the Americans were testing the Iranians ability and confidence to accurately shoot the drone, with 38 US military people in close proximity. They got their answer!
@HashAttack2
I also was under that impression. I wanted Trump to win just so we wouldnt have to endure Hillary. But I also think that one world government has its probes on the populace and is seeing that in order to sell the same old story they now need much better actors who will provide the act that most want to see. So all this impeachment and russian collusion is nothing more than a play to validate him as a "different and better"! On the other side and in a somewhat different world we have Putin and he could easily be the first one-global-government president in the making.
Cause I somehow believe that presidents dont hold any kind of actual power. Really important decisions are done elswhere, not in presidential offices.
Mr Putin for first global president? Em, ...Not a chance! See paragraph above.
LindaMay ''Mundane astrology'' isn't a worthwhile pursuit. There are many reasons for this I can list. I wouldn't waste time on it.
However, there is some value I reckon in the study of the horoscopes of individuals from a psychological standpoint, if you know what you're doing!
Drone of which we speak (as atleast one more) was downed over Yemen and US claimed Iran helped the rebels.
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And regarding the one world government I know its more prudent to believe that its memebers are all in agreement about who are the sheeple and who is cannon fodder and that it is already functioning and adjusting policies of all the worlds "independent" governments.
I assure you if we made a poll asking : "Would you allow mrPutin to be a president of a roof government that will run all governments on the planet" and somehow managed to have it done on a global scale the results would be in his favor. Even some Americans would agree to that.
Im not his fanboy or anything, I just try and look at all this from a birds eye point of view and Im really not invested in any politician or a nation, any religion or a cult or ideology. No guru no method no teacher if you know. Btw Ive experienced communism first hand so I know a lot about manipulation of the "herd" and how its done and am naturaly greatly interested in it.
See Javed (above)
Approx 29 min mark mention of Iran (and Mars... US)
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Well i feel the US Gov't will be stupid. NK i feel wants to join in. I'm so busy with the Farming Network Gold Mine and Housing in Africa... there is 'offer n demand' very much in the works or i wouldnt be so sollicited.
A dictatorship with adequate repression can survive with about 30% support. When it falls much below that there is a lot of trouble.
The Mullahs are probably right on that edge. Maybe some below that.
I see Trump exploiting that fact.
So here we have the US performing an ambush style hit on a person on a diplomatic mission, which was requested by the US, to prevent Israel from doing what an Israeli General says they are not capable of doing (launching a war on Iran). My guess is that Israel planned (or threatened) to kill Soleimani with a strike within Iran. TrumpCo decided that was not a good idea. As a matter of fact, the US taking on Iran is not a good idea. [Link] With this attack, the US possibly hoped that Iran would immediately attack US interests and then the US could force support from NATO, which it could not do if Soleimani had been killed in Iran. Now the US is hoping that Iran will agree to the 'proportional response' they have requested, to prevent the US/Israel ending up going it alone in a large confrontation. Obstensively, this means willingly sacrificing US lives, which apparently are useful as fodder, for Israel. Israel, on the other hand doesn't give a rats ass. They have the US to protect them, as we have a base in Israel which would also be endangered. How so very convenient. What happens now is anyone's guess. But for sure, this can be laid at Israel and Trumps feet.
Why not? The Mullahs are an enemy. The Persians are very Israel friendly. (Queen Esther is still fondly remembered). And America friendly. They miss (some of them) the Shah.
Your focus is way too narrow. And not historically grounded. Old cultures are very historical. It is why Islam likes destroying cultural heritage or building over it. Destroy those old memories.
In any case Iran has internal troubles. A lot of Iraqis are not happy with Iran getting into their affairs. It is why Iraq has a caretaker PM.
From the looks of things some great power is going to control the world. If I had any vote in the matter I'd choose the USA over China or Islam. On liberty grounds. Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. Right to bear arms. and a few other things.
Iran can't last in its present form economically. China has a similar problem. What is Trump good at? Economic warfare. The more Iran fights the faster it falls. From the looks of things that is the intention. Trump has goaded them into assisting his efforts. They could stop fighting and last longer. Their religion won't allow it. Neither will the Mullahs.
BTW do you suppose Iran is not fooling around with US politics? Everybody else does. And the US tries to influence politics in the rest of the world. It is the way the world works these days. Or maybe always has.
Perhaps if you made your case better you would have more influence. You have to get more Republican friendly to do that. It is what I did to help end the Drug War in the US. It is working. I have the advantage of science - which helps. And these days to be Republican friendly it helps to be pro-Israel. It is the darndest thing. Republican Christians are more pro-Israel than Democrat Jews. If you want to change those minds you will need to adopt a suitable tone.
The science.
Addiction is a symptom of PTSD. Says Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine Eric Kandel in his book, "The Disordered Mind."
One thing I like about SOTT is that their view of Drugs is quite compatible with mine. They mentioned Art Kleps in an article. He was - for a while - a close friend of mine.
R.C.
Republicans are the last opposition to ending the Drug War. So I "work" with Republicans to weaken their opposition. It is working. You may have noticed they have changed from "Prohibition Everywhere forever" to "States Rights". I intend to get them to "It is an abomination"
Evangelicals should especially be moved by "Stop making war on the sexually molested". Sexual molestation of children is a hot .button for them.
Dr. Lonny Shavelson found that 70% of female heroin addicts were sexually abused in childhood.
I'm making progress. With Republicans.
It wasn't until about 2002 that I figured out PTSD was the main cause of Drug Use. And last year a Nobel Winner agreed with me. I did get Steven Pinker to change his mind. Five years after a conversation with me.
And after a week of back and forth around 2004 I got a retired Sheriff to see the light. He became very apologetic about what he had spent his life doing.
Humans have been dealing with this divide for over 5,000 years. Too bad we haven't figured it out yet.
A Thermodynamic Explanation of Politics [Link]
Two Ecologies [Link]
Cities are classic "behavior sinks" according to Thomas Jefferson.
"When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe." - Thomas Jefferson
In fact Iran's power in Iraq is also declining (It is why the current PM is a caretaker). Iraqis resent Iran's bribery of their government. Their proxies are not doing well in Lebanon either. And they are about to make Turkey an enemy in Syria. I believe their government budget will be going down by 1/3rd compared to last year. That is going to hurt. Already their proxies are complaining about the reduced income.
Fortunately Iran seems interested in avoiding a war they can't afford with the US. But the fools still want to fight Israel which over the last 15 years has undergone a major upgrade in their military. They can now target as many sites as they did in the 33 day 2006 war in just 24 hours. As judged by the recent US hit of the Iranian General the US has undergone a similar upgrade. The Saudis are now semi-officially allied with them. Back in 2006 the alliance was totally unofficial. Yes, Israel had trouble on the ground in 2006. So i expect ground operations will be greatly reduced. Until the air war (bombing and missile strikes) has reduced the Iranian proxies. They promise to turn South Lebanon into a free fire zone the next time. The residents know that and resent the proxies for wanting to fight Israel.
R.C.
nostalgia for shah in Langley, VA---not iran
Israel humiliated by a far weaker Hizbollah than today in 2006
stop lying about Lebanon---amerikan fascists resented....Iranian influence in Syria, Lebanon increasing
your CIA propaganda is farcical; amerikan paper tiger cannot confront Iran...u lose all wars...your pathetic obese troops hide in fortresses and scurry home after every invasion....
addiction? has zero clinical or scientific basis. why do amerikans consume more meth heroin, marijuana, hallucinogens, meth per capita than all peoples? why r more than 30% of amerikans diagnosed w mental illness?--no civilized nation exceeds 6%
kandel is an idiot---there is no evidence to support this trash. In an insane, puritanical, sexually repressed society like USA where refusing to be an "over-conformist semi-automaton" as Riesman described u amerikans is criminalized, fake science is expected
- the twain; [Link]