US Humiliated in 13-2 UN Vote on Iran
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo pressed US allied in the UN to extend an arms embargo against Iran.
The US failed 13-2 or more accurately 2-2-11 (Russia and China voting against) with 11 abstentions.
Humiliating Abstentions
Germany, France, the United Kingdom and eight others abstained. Only the Dominican Republic, supported the US resolution in a in a Humiliating UN Vote.
Let us underline this. The most powerful countries in the world and the current representatives of the main global blocs just sided with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against Donald J. Trump.
Under the terms of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the weapons ban on Iran will expire in mid-October.
The Trump administration wants to extend the embargo despite having exited the deal. Pompeo even watered down the US demands to no avail.
Cannot Have Your Cake and Eat it Too
Trump threatens to unilaterally impose an embargo arguing that the US has the legal authority to re-impose sanctions on Iran under UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Trump unilaterally withdrew from that treaty. Now it wants to enforce part of it.
OOPS.
The rest of the UN Security Council thinks Pompeo’s idea is crazy, that he can trigger the snap back provision even though the US pulled out of the treaty, telling CNN, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
Even Iran Surprised
Note that even Iran was Surprised by the Humiliation.
President Hassan Rouhani said, according to US News and World Report, “I don’t remember the United States preparing a resolution for months to strike a blow at the Islamic Republic of Iran, and it garners only one vote. But the great success was that the United States was defeated in this conspiracy with humiliation.”
Poking Trump in the Eye
The spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, Sayyid Abbas Mousavi, said on Twitter Saturday that the US regime must take a lesson from its absolute defeats at the UN security council. Otherwise it will, he said, continue to be isolated, even more than it is today.
Mousavi, by using the term “regime” to describe the US government, was tweaking the Trump administration, which routinely refers to the Iranian government as a “regime,” which has connotations of authoritarianism and illegitimacy.
China is the Big Winner
The EU is weak and European corporations are unlikely to risk the wrath of Trump by making deals with Iran. China is another matter.
China in particular appears determined to risk US sanctions in order to make a huge investment in the Iranian economy. The US Treasury Department can only sanction firms that trade in dollars with Iran or that also trade with the US. China intends its projects in Iran to be funded with soft-money currencies it has accumulated through its vast global trade. In accepting those African and other currencies, Iran will suffer a 30% loss, but it will escape the American net.
What About the New UAE Deal
Trump is bragging about a new Israel-UAE Peace Deal even though it leaves Palestinians in the cold according to a Bloomberg Op-Ed.
The Palestinians were disbelieving. They understood the agreement not as a friendly diplomatic move to ward off an Israeli land grab, but as, in the words of Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas, “a stab in the back.” Abbas is right.
The UAE has secretly been doing business with Israel for years. Such clandestine dealings are considered par for the course in the region. But by going public with a peace treaty, the UAE did something revolutionary — it proclaimed its independence from the Palestinian cause. The country is willing, even happy, to be of help to the Palestinians, but it is no longer committed to Ramallah’s side or its demands from Israel.
As par for the course, Trump takes credit for something in which he played little if any part.
Trump’s Six-Point Legacy
- Bully Allies
- Belittle Friends
- Break Good Deals
- Invoke Disastrous Trade and Sanction Policies
- Amplify Racial Hatred
- Drive Countries Into Deals With China
In regard to points 4 and 6, Trump’s trade and sanction policies have been a disaster on every front.
All of our allies thought the nuclear accord deal with Iran was working, every one of them.
Another Trumpian Scheme Bites the Dust
By unilaterally breaking the nuclear treaty with Iran, Trump undid the single best accomplishment in 8 years of an Obama presidency.
It could have been and should have been US corporations making infrastructure deals in Iran. Instead it will be China.
As with NAFTA, Trump said he cold get a better deal. He didn’t. Another Trumpian scheme backfired miserably.
Winning Comes to An End
The US cannot take much more of Trump’s self-proclaimed “winning“. Fortunately, such “winning” comes to an abrupt end in November.
One of Biden’s first moves ought to be to revive the nuclear deal with Iran hoping to rebuild a good setup that Trump destroyed.
Even so, the Mideast picture will never be the same.
The Bright Side
US unilateral dominance in the Mideast and the US go-it-alone sanction policy have both hit the end of the line.
That’s a good thing even though the rise of Chinese influence (thanks to Trump) isn’t.
Mish
Good luck dealing with Putin and other crooks. What’s the point of being a libertarian but not espousing those values for the world ? Do you think a blog will change the world ?
You think China will come out ahead? We did exactly what we wanted while there and even that did not work out. We will be laughing like Russia is now with Afghanistan…. I can hear the water starting to drain! C’mon Trump!
Dude, where are you getting your information from(you’re a scumbag, by the way)?
Ah. Had we met before then? Don’t recall.
Or was there a single-comment litmus test?
You, sir, seem to be an intemperate buffoon with the manners of a cur.
Do you talk tonyone that lives more than 10km from your house, or trailer park?
Oh, really? Is that why Putin(“best relations between US & Russia in decades”-Putin), Kim Jong Il(friendly with US; more cooperation with S. Korea), Saudi Arabia(Wow; Ardha dance), China(“please, make a deal!”), Iran(on their knees now) are in trouble or begging to be friends with Pres. Trump?
ROTFLMAO,..you bought ALL of Trumalinas narrative. None of what you mention was stated by those world leaders. It’s more of the Orange Ones BS.
Trumpalinas’ morning wake up statement,..”Ah, I love the smell of my own BS in the morning. “
what.. has Iran or Venezuela ever threatened to invade you, in your head a bad guy is anyone who does kneel before you in gratitude for your rule. p.s. not quite what the founding fathers had in mind
The US government has become a pariah internationally which cannot be good for American’s long term interests. This has been apparent for a long time now.
Mish – What really gets me though, is that you recognize that the 11 abstentions are essentially a vote for Iran and against the US, but you are abstaining from endorsing a presidential candidate. Failure to endorse Biden/Harris is essentially sending a message that you are ok with continuing down the path the country has taken under 4 more years of Trump . Do you really think Biden/Harris would be as bad?? Still 77 days to change your mind….
“US dominance in the Mideast is over. Thank president Trump.”
US dominance of anything has been waning for 50 years. At an accelerating pace. Trump just happens to be Dear Leader at a time when circumstances are making it more obvious. (Not saying he hasn’t helped speed it up, but only t the margin.)
No country where increasingly all resources are being handed willy-nilly to mediocrities in exchange for nothing, will dominate much of anything for long. The US started with a lot of capital post WW2. It had a long way to fall. But the mediocrities The Fed has handed it all to, has by now largely burned it all, with their near universal incompetence at anything whatsoever aside from collecting welfare checks stolen from their more competent superiors.
Covid, the BLM riots etc., just put some pressure on the hollowed out cardhouse which is all that America now is. And, of course and inevitably: The mediocrities who “made money from their house” and “their portfolio,” and from mindlessly being handed cuts of money others “made” of their house and “portfolio”, failed. As fail is all they have the aptitude to do, once the task they are faced with, gets any more complimecated than collecting stolen handouts from The Fed.
Per current fantasy-derived-from-nothing-but-inertia, Americans are still plenty wealthier than Chinese. Which is exactly as relevant as Argentinians being wealthier than Chinese pre Corralito. In both cases, nothing but a Chimera built on a cardhouse. Just like in Argentina, once people start looking under the covers, and see how rotten it all really is, reassessment can be very, very quick and painful.
Thank God for the 2nd Amendment. When crap hits the fan, which is surely will, at least the “leaders” here will have to have second thoughts about taking on a well armed populace.
Sad it comes to this, but it seems like the republic needs a cleaning to get back to constitutional principals, including hard money!
“Sad it comes to this, but it seems like the republic needs a cleaning to get back to constitutional principals, including hard money!”
It’s either that, or increasing criminalization until people are fed up enough to realize the only ones competent to do anything useful about it, are the militant Muzzies setting up Mosques down the street.
Either outcome is a vast improvement on what we have today but, not being a militant militant Muslim myself, I would much prefer your solution.
By voting in favor of Iran, China may earn a “terrorist nation” label.
Any labeling by the U.S. is worth less and less. The result itself of the UN Security Council shows that the world does not give much shit about how the U.S. labels another country. They start to have their own thinking.
Sadly this will not be the end of this story.
Remember the coalition of the willing. It proved the UN security council is an empty propaganda shell. Further gutted by the Libya adventure. In more noble times the UN security council would dissolve itself, but too many high paying jobs are at stake.
As you said, the financial embargo will go on, and will strengthen China’s hand.
They (China) can’t believe winning would be so easy.
GOOD! and with any luck, Trump will get the military out of the 70 odd countries around the world and the 800 or so military bases there.
Why didn’t he start on that the day after he was inaugurated? Like I think he promised during his campaign?
When Trump assumed the USA throne, I stated on a few forums that Trump would prove to be a Manchurian Candidate. I think I can claim 100% success in this prediction. The only question is who is controlling Trump, because no one on their own could be as stupid as Trump has shown himself to be over the last 4 years.
“because no one on their own could be as stupid as Trump has shown himself to be over the last 4 years”
It is all 13-dimensional chess.
Fat Donnie™ is sucking the Deep State in and then Q will rescue us.
Right after Dumpy Boi finishes his lunch made from babies.
Stupidest Comment In Months
“So if you encourage supplying weaponry to terrorists, you are no different than them.”
The US supplies weapons to Saudi Arabia – a Terrorist nation.
The Corrupt CIA has been involved in more deals that have blown up (including Iran) that I can count.
Where’s “My” Patriotism?
You are a “false patriot” neocon foolishly waving a military might-makes-right flag in defiance of all common sense. You bought US military propaganda hook line and sinker.
Dude, I guess it was smart enough for you to respond. How is SA a terrorist nation? Separate Arab nationals from active state-sponsored policies & initiatives.
See here and read through to end: link to state.gov
If you fully understood my comment; neoconservative is nowhere near. Military propaganda? Please, stop joking. And I strongly suggest you open your eyes and see the anti-Trump narrative(propaganda?) pushed almost everywhere(and not because of his policies, but because he’s “racist”) and make the best choice between your options.
If you still want to put nuclear capabilities/weaponry in the hands of the Iranian government that still chants “Death to America!”, then think about your “patriotism”. Idiot. I’m tired of your junk. From one economist to another.
SA is an obviously terrorist nation in its aggressive spread of Wahhabism. They panicked after Iran’s 1979 revolution and fostered this movement of extremism around the Sunni world. I suppose you think it’s a coincidence most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi?
More recently they have committed many war crimes in Yemen, something even the royal family has tacitly admitted (but not MBS, of course).
The US spent 50 years fing around the Iranian people to get their oil and oddly enough they don’t like you much. You opened the door for Islamism you opened the door for the Chinese. FFS go fing home and fight among yourselves.
Your style of “patriotism” begets terrorism. Patriotism is overrated and terrorism is over-used.
Overrated. Shows what you think about it. Go back to school.
You mean the government-run schools we were all brainwashed in? Think for yourself man.
Trump is clueless when it come to international diplomacy. There is no way the Europeans, or any other country for that matter, will support a Trump initiative given Trumps belligerence and America first attitude. Trump needs to realize he can dictate terms to the rest of the world but it does not mean he will get a buy in from anyone. He might have gotten away with that behavior in the business world when dealing with suppliers but it just won’t work in the big boys world. Two words come to mind: mental midget.
“Trump is clueless” were enough words. You don’t need more.
As I see it, there is no alternative. Biden is already pushing regime change in Turkey and hinting at more attempts at war with China. Congress and liberals oppose Trump and vote for more endless war – with Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and whoever it is this month. It never stops and it’s sick. If any politician opposes this, they will find the Deep State trying to remove them, whether Trump or Tulsi Gabbard or anyone else. Even Schumer warned Trump about this !
The US is a man with a leaky roof, trash in his yard, debts he skips and a family often in rebellion. His solution? Start a fight with somebody in the next county that is reputed to beat his wife.
The only way to stop this insanity is to wreck the system (Trump, deliberately or through his incompetence) and hope that a dollar decline forces Progressives to finally vote against this ceaseless aggression – and CONCENTRATE on fixing the US.
care to support any of these comments with documentation. i see nothing biden is saying ro doing to suggest regime change in turkey or war with china
Yahoo published a similar piece – as to the drive towards China war may not not change under Biden. As for regime change in Turkey, this hit the headlines in the past couple days and Erdogan blew up over it – although the Biden interview took place earlier.
The military industrial complex/Deep State (or swamp or Neo Cons) dictate ever more war and God Help the politician who says otherwise. Libya was destroyed under Obama and they tried to wreck Syria, too. And then there’s Ukraine (quote “F**k the EU”).
“reputed to beat his wife”
?? with whom his wife sleeps
And, a member of the “burn it all down and squat in the ashes” contingent speaks up.
Power doesn’t guarantee perfection, but power can accelerate the move toward the better.
When both parties push for more war, what positive change do you think will arise? I have some hope that universal health care will trim US warmongering ( and some Neo Cons apparently know that) because the resources for Eternal War will dry up, as with Britain, Germany and Canada’s constraints.
I see you don’t do subtlety–either it is “China good” or “China must be militarily crushed”.
There is a whole area between, called diplomacy and negotiation.
Diplomacy? You mean like when Bill Clinton had a deal with North Korea and they actually blew up a nuclear facility compliantly….. and then Congress wrecked it?
I’m fully aware of subtlety but it can’t function as long as members of Congress need cheap political support ( like “Russia, Russia”, now, “China, China”, ). Note how blazingly stupid US foreign policy is in regard to pushing nations towards China – the very opposite of Nixon/Kissinger balance.
Both parties push for war? What secret messages are you hearing?
The parties need to die, but the system keeps us alive. Lets not cut our own throats here.
Good! We need to be out of these cesspool no win areas anyhow.
Mish, if I remember your positions 4 years ago, you were tired of the endless wars and wanted to see Trump get in as he promised to end the wars and bring our troops home. Now he does it, and you say its a humiliation?
I mean seriously, Trump is a bull in a china shop (no pun intended) and stumbles through the “delicacies” of foreign policy and domestic as well. BUT….he IS heading in the right direction, although there are probably many better ways to do it.
But Trump isn’t bringing troops home and there’s no indication that he will. Late in 2019 it was shown that there were more US soldiers in the ME than when Trump took office, and then at the start of the year (remember the Baghdad US embassy attack?) we sent even more troops.
It’s like when he bragged about pulling troops out of Syria a while ago, but then it was revealed that they hadn’t left Syria at all, they were just redeployed to guard oil-rich areas in the eastern part of the country.
We should all realize by now that the MIC doesn’t leave ANYWHERE voluntarily, especially in the ME. Either Trump was lying about yet another campaign promise, or he’s powerless against MIC lobbying.
To the extent Trump is speeding up the collapse (as completely and 100% as possible, leaving absolutely nothing of it left, one would hope) of “The System”, he is inevitably heading in the right direction. Much in the same way that nuking Hiroshima moved Japan in the right direction, but still…………
I guess you need to tear down a system so you can rebuild it.
And Tengen…..agreed. Some of the troop withdrawals (well, most) have been sleight of hand moving them to other areas or reclassifying them. As you note, the MIC is indeed a very powerful force within the swamp. Heck, I was worried when Esper and the generals almost started a mutiny against Trump after the riots in Washington. Trump, like him or hate him, is the commander in chief….and the job of the Secy of Defense and the generals is to execute orders, not second guess them. THAT was some scary shit. Im sure Trump know this….and is acting accordingly. These generals need to be retired post haste.
There used to be a “tradition” of subsequent Presidents mostly adhering to previously reached agreements and treaties. The random, personal and vindictive over-turning of agreements and treaties that Trump has done has injected great uncertainty in world politics.
Who can count on what from a future administration? There is whole domino fall around the world with respect to other agreements.
When rise or fall international agreements are allowed to be tied so tightly with the personal whims of a president, we have moved well into the effective neutering of effective US power in the world.
I’m regularly in contact informally with people who are overseas in governmental positions in lesser developed countries. When I first became involved with this program during Obama’s term, there was huge respect for the US, though this already had been tarnished by the Iraq/Afghanistan debacles. In the past few years, the opinion of the US has diminished significantly and it is odd to be the recipient of sympathy of others in other countries who have been also at the random fiats and catastrophes of neo-dictators.
But it’s great we can still count on the Dominican Republic…
…The United States, which left the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, argued that the arms embargo should not be allowed to expire because Iran continues to support terrorist organizations. But Russia and China said the U.S. has no place presenting resolutions on a deal that it is no longer a part of, and European allies expressed concern that extending the embargo would cause Iran to withdraw from the deal and begin developing nuclear weapons.
Of the 15-nation Security Council, 11 nations abstained, with two voting yes and two voting no. The United States would have needed nine votes to prevail — but Russia and China, the two nations that voted no, each had veto power and would have been able to defeat the resolution even if it received the nine votes. The Dominican Republic is the only nation that voted with the U.S….
Just wait. For the US to support a permanent seat for the DR on the Security Council with a view to their vast global sway and responsibility.
Yep, I live in a long time US ally. But you are down the track of being just like any other fascist power we can choose to pay homage to, except with better media programming
Any thought that we could install a democracy in Iraq was grossly naive. Anyone with a modicum of understanding of history in the Mid East should have been able to fathom that fact.
It never was about democracy any more than invading Iraq or any other country was about democracy. USA Empire seeks so-called “free markets” for its multinational MIC corporations, which is code for we liberate your resources and you buy our weapons.
QUESTION: What could convince Iran that any new deal could endure the vagaries of US domestic politics and rhetoric?
I’m not sure Trump has been the one driving this. I think he’s surrounded himself with neocons who want a war with Iran. His mistake has been appointing the wrong people around him.
No I think Trump’s iran policy is in conflict with itself. He wants to box Iran in but doesn’t want war. Iran knows this so every few months they harass the U.S. and its allies as part of a pressure tactic to stop the sanctions
As more of these countries realize how irrelevant we have become, I would imagine Americans are about to find out the hard way about the huge trading advantage we have had all along–the world’s reserve currency. When they dump the dollar as the main trading tool…
It certainly sets the stage for it, even if it would be very hard for the world to do(for now). It’s the proverbial shot across the bow.
Does this mean the US can get back the $1.7 Billion that the previous administration sent to Iran?
As David Stockman noted, that was always Iranian money. Frozen assets from the late sevenites.
He knows that. It’s misdirection aimed at defending his would be Emperor.
tRump is bringing Chaos to America and to the whole world. But in the long run, he is inadvertently bringing down the American Empire, which will be his greatest achievement, and remembered by History.
Five countries that could be next to make peace with Israel link to jpost.com
Mish, shame on you. I used to have respect for you, but now I don’t. Where is your patriotism? The Iran deal was a fraud and even enabled Iran to pursue nuclear weaponry(remember they didn’t allow inspectors?). Not only that, but it is public that Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism(hezbollah, hamas, Syria, Yemen, etc) and they say so themselves. By selling Iran munitions, they enable murder, rape, abduction, and just plain destruction for the sake of it. So Pres. Trump is right; and you’re an idiot, along with everyone else that abstained. And just so you know, they probably abstained in order to keep selling them weapons and making money. So if you encourage supplying weaponry to terrorists, you are no different than them.
i was against the Iran deal too. But it was passed, it was being followed and Trump offered no better alternative. If anything the situation today is worse. The U.N. and Europe were correct to smack Trump down.
Trump killed an imperfect deal with no deal and a more dangerous situation. So now instead of Iran having to wait to develop nukes a decade they can do so now. And in the meantime we’ve had more , not less confrontations with Iran.
War with Iran is not remotely in our interest and it can’t be won if we used similar resources that we use in Iraq. No way the U.S. wants to occupy Iran. A disaster a mile away and you can’t blow up the nuclear infrastructure either. Iran isn’t Syria or Iraq where Israel could send in a plane and do the job and get out.
Iran was against the west since 1979. Why the participating countries abstained is a question in and of itself. Either they’re corrupt and got paid off or they want to sell them weapons on the side. Maybe both. Btw, Syria is partnered with Iran.
where is the us in your list of states who sponsor terror?
Where is yours? You are putting dear leader and party over country.
If you can’t see what a disaster Trump is for the U.S. after reading Mish’s articles then you are, at best, willfully misinformed. At worst, malevolent.
In only 3.5 years Trump has made the U.S. a laughing stock amongst the international community of nations.
All that occurred on the world stage is Trump was given the Huge Middle Finger for his Apprentice bullying tactics.
It does not work on the world stage.
Trumpalina and Pompeoness were totally set up. They took the bait and swallowed deeply their arrogance and false authority.
Countries are putting Trump and his goons in their rightful place,…
The Middle Finger where they deserve to be.
Trump thinks he can screech “KNEEL BEFORE ZOD” and the world will comply.
It’s simply not in US interests to engage in another unwinnable overseas undeclared war that we print money to fund. In fact, it could be suggested that someone who endorses such a policy is not patriotic themselves….but I’m not much of a jingoist.
Where are you getting your information?
– Everybody but Trump (including US intelligence) agree that Iran was complying with inspections and the conditions of the deal.
– The US is the biggest sponsor of terrorism, ever since they weaponized jihadist dissent in Afghanistan and started tracking their assets in a CIA database (hence al-Qaeda, Arab. for a database).
– Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorists b/c Israel brands its enemies as such, just as the Ukraine calls the people in Lugansk terrorists, or Erdogan calls anybody who displeases him a terrorist. Hamas and Hezbollah are not splinter groups but command respect among huge swathes of the population, offering medical care and social services where nobody else does. Compare that to the cowardly use of drones by youngsters in Nevada bunkers playing Doom and blowing up kids collecting cow dung who never heard of America.
– The wars in Yemen and Syria are kept going by foreign intervention, mostly vassals and terrorists controlled by the US and its proxies.
– Iran is not wealthy enough to get any weapons producing countries to kow tow. The problem is that ever since the CIA installed Shah was removed, they have asserted their own sovereignty and pursued anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist policies. Attempting friendship is much less likely to instigate all the evils the war-mongers pretend to be combatting.
The only lesson that Iran could reasonably have learned that the only way to keep US agression at bay is to be nuclear armed, even though their religious leaders have state that atomic weapons are haram (forbidden by Allah), a pronouncement they cannot easily walk back without losing all credulity with the population.
On the bright side he just shifted responsibility of what Iran gets up to in future into what there is of an international community. That is quite a smart move.
Iran was not going to turn to the west without its own revolution, and its ties with China and Russia are long-standing, so it is not like the US is losing a partner, simply making the lines clearer.
Obviously the west wants Syria and Lebanon , Turkey and occupied territories, aligned with it, and down through the gulf. So there you have leverage over other western countries who didn’t embargo the moment Iran can be shown to use its arms purchases aggressively. I expect they would rally around expelling Iranian influence in the nearer east now they can’t get arms they sold or allowed, back. Etc. etc. etc. and certain countries in the region will profit from that also, and as an obligatory alliance of recognition, against Iran. Etc. etc. etc.
Etc.
Where is your Patriotism? That sort of question was asked back in the day when I was in the Army of any people who didn’t back the war in Vietnam. They happened to be right, not unpatriotic. A different point of view means you are unpatriotic? Really? BTW if you call someone an idiot who is quite clearly the polar opposite of an idiot you make yourself look rather stupid.
US has killed a lot of people in VietNam and elsewhere that were just seeking self determination. The modern day US would be allied to the British to defeat the dissident colonials
Good Riddance
signed – US taxpayer
Enough with the Empire garbage that only benefits the owners of capital (aka – “the rich”)
I’ve said for decades now that the US needs shut down the CIA and close ALL its foreign military bases and bring the troops, planes, ships, and drones home. The CIA has toppled democratically elected governments all over the globe and as a result created hatred for the US. The CIA is the exact opposite of what we believe the US should stand for and support. We need to stop being an empire and start taking care of business right here at home. If we actually do that, maybe in a few decades the rest of the world might forgive us… might… maybe…
The CIA will not allow itself to be shutdown.
Exactly. How this became Trump’s fight is odd to me. Everyone knows that Iran has been on the CIA’s list since the revolution and removal of the Shaw.
…So I came back to see him a few weeks later, and by that time we were bombing in Afghanistan. I said, “Are we still going to war with Iraq?” And he said, “Oh, it’s worse than that.” He reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of paper. And he said, “I just got this down from upstairs” — meaning the Secretary of Defense’s office — “today.” And he said, “This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran.” I said, “Is it classified?” He said, “Yes, sir.” I said, “Well, don’t show it to me.” And I saw him a year or so ago, and I said, “You remember that?” He said, “Sir, I didn’t show you that memo! I didn’t show it to you!”
link to genius.com
Sort of hard to do when Obama administration overturned sovereign government in Libya and almost did the same in Syria.
Exactly. Secret agencies are the oppositie of democracy which can only thrive on the basis of public debates that appeal to reason.
U.S. position on Iran as pushed by Trump is a mistake. UAE making peace with Israel is an indication nobody trusts the U.S. to be the stop-gap so UAE is making peace with Israel for military cooperation and most likely the nod from Washington that they can purchase more advanced weaponry. If anything the peace deal with Israel represents an escalation and not a calming of tensions. I may be wrong but I bet if we watch we’ll see news in the coming weeks and months that support the view that military thinking drove the UAE decision. The UAE and Israel had defacto relations already , just done in secret.
I’ll award trump a point for not starting another war. I figured that would be the reelection plan. Destroying the postal service so people can’t vote is a novel approach…. but it might end up getting more people killed when it’s all said and done.
Trump’s been lucky. There’s no wisdom or strategy behind Trump’s middle east choices. He’s been driven by the base and polling more than any doctrine.
Trump is not destroying the postal system. He wants to address their issues instead of blindly bailing them out. Something that will effect them well after the election.
He flat out said he doesn’t know what his postal appointee is doing.
It’s not too late.
U.S. is losing dominance everywhere. I don’t agree with you that it’s a positive although I do agree or involvement in Iraq was counter-productive as was our involvement in Iran during the Shah days. We don’t always have the wisdom to match our military capability.
My eye right now is on Belarus. Any other President would be standing firm with NATO and warning Russia not to become involved. Weak and indecisive Presidents often invite conflict because they lack strengthand determination. Don’t see Trump standing up to Putin. We could see what many would argue an attack if they get “invited in” and the U.S doesn’t properly discourage.
Standing to Putin? What are you talking about? Put down the crack pipe and live in reality. Is the FSB causing unrest in Mexico to get an American base next to us? No. Is the CIA causing another color revolution in Belarus to get NATO closer to Russia? Yes.
You are falling victim to the hackneyed “victims of oppression heroically rising up for democratic rights” narrative promulgated with every regime change operation. Just like Syria when the people demonstrated in Dara’a to have separate boys/girls schools, and for the right to wear veils in schools, translated by the MSM as “democratic agitation”.
80% of the population just voted for him. 20% of the votes were distributed among a very splintered opposition. This is just another color war psyOp. Even if there was massive election fraud, it would not have swung the election.
Sechel… Find Belarus on the map. Exactly how far do you want NATO power to reach? All the way to Moscow? You know, they got their back against the wall, and got nukes. Good thing you’re not ruling the nation.
The US is a bully boy, it has had a good run and the Chinese have learnt well. Better for the rest of the world to be able to play them against each other, with side shows from wanna be powers in Europe India and Russia.
Losing dominance? America’s problem is it’s attempt at world dominance. Goes against our founding principles of individual freedom and liberty.
President Eisenhower kept the US from interfering in Hungary in 1956 (the Hungarian Revolution) and the US survived just fine. The US is now rotting from within, from Portland to New York.