- The events and utterances that have characterised the Iran-Israel war so far are achingly and eerily similar to what led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003
- The same propaganda and pro-war rhetoric that were carefully curated and deftly disseminated in 2003 and many gobbled it up is being unabashedly spread today
Before winning his second term as president, Donald Trump ferociously railed against the involvement of the United States in multiple wars. He lambasted his predecessor, Joe Biden, and the Democratic party for their obscene obsession and insatiable appetite for conflicts and how they are the harbinger of instability and destabilisation in many countries around the World. He vowed to end all conflicts and pull the United States out of any war it was part of. Many were doubtful of his ability to keep to his promise, seeing how beholden he was to his big donors, who were mainly Zionists. In the early days of his administration, Trump appeared to be keeping to his campaign promises of ending wars and ensuring long-term peace and stability. If he was not facilitating talks between Russia and Ukraine to bring the over three-year war between the two eastern European nations to an end, he was trying to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas to halt the Israeli genocide in Gaza. He has not made significant headway in pursuing peace in these two conflicts.
But all this is about to change. Those who believe Trump is genuinely interested in ending wars and conflicts around the globe, especially ones that the United States is involved in, reckon that his ability to actualise this objective hangs dangerously on his willingness to call the bluff of Israel and do what is right for the American people. His Make America Great Again (MAGA) sloganeering may become an echo of a distant past and begin to ring hollow in the ears of many of his supporters and those who voted for him because of his anti-war stance if he walks back on his promise of ending war and starts a war in the Middle East because of Israel. And this is exactly what is happening.
Last Friday, Israel launched an attack against Iran killing top nuclear scientists, senior military officers and security chiefs. The attack came less than 48 hours before the continuation of negotiations between Iran and the US over the former’s decision to build a nuclear weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ‘preemptive’ attack was aimed at severely degrading Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon and also ‘rolling back the Iranian threat to Israel’s survival.’ The attack was widely condemned by many who saw Israel’s unprovoked attack as a move to start another war which it would need the US to help it win. It’s also seen as part of Netanyahu’s elaborate plan to cling to power with a shaky coalition and evade prosecution over corruption and criminal activities despite his waning popularity among Israelis.
After the first wave of attacks that killed its top scientists and senior military officers, Iran retaliated by firing hundreds of drones, rockets and missiles into Israel, destroying critical civilian infrastructure and military installations. Amid Iran’s bombardment, Israel called on the US to join the military campaign against Iran. Initially, the US government said it wouldn’t be part of the war between Iran and Israel. But President Trump changed his tone yesterday and started threatening Iran, signalling his readiness to acquiesce to Israel’s request to bring the full might of the US military against the Iranians.
The long-expected volte-face
In a series of posts on his Truth social media on Monday evening, Trump ditched his anti-war posturing for a full-blown, undisguised clamour for war. Trump claimed his decision to wage war on Iran is because Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
Is Iran really building a nuclear weapon
On many occasions, Iran has said it was not interested in having a nuclear weapon. In March, Tulsi Gabbard [Director of National Intelligence] testified before Congress that the intelligence community said that Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon.”
When journalists asked Trump at the G-7 summit why he doubled down on his claim of Iran being close to getting a nuclear weapon even after Gabbard said the Iranians were not actively working towards getting one, Trump said he didn’t care what she said and all he knows is that Iran is close to getting a nuclear weapon
Trump’s MAGA allies turned against him
Tucker Carlson, a media personality, former TV host at Fox News and supporter of Trump, expressed his opposition to US direct military involvement in the Iran-Israeli conflict and warned Trump against dragging the US into another conflict in the Middle East.
Tuckson said: “The real divide isn’t between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers. Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who’s calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran. On that list are Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rupert Murdoch, Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. At some point, they will all have to answer for this, but you should know their names now.”
Alex Jones, another controversial media personality and a staunch supporter of Trump vehemently opposed the US involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
“Trump attacking @TuckerCarlson for not supporting a new WORLD WAR is not something any sane person should support! This is the stuff NIGHTMARES are MADE of
“I am proud that Tucker Carlson is standing his ground against the psychotic war-mongering neocons that have brought the world to the verge of thermal nuclear Armageddon,” he said
Opposition from Congress
Some members of Congress have begun moves to stop the US military involvement in the Iran-Israeli conflict.
Thomas Massie, a member of the US House of Representatives, has introduced a Bill to prohibit the involvement of the US in the Israel-Iran war
“I just introduced an Iran War Powers Resolution with @RepRoKhanna to prohibit U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran war.
“This is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,” he said in a post on his X page.
https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1935001863100699058?t=Agh4MmE0Ll2GxnoYvR9J3g&s=19
“I look forward to supporting this War Powers Resolution. The American people aren’t falling for it again. We were lied to about “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq that killed millions + forever changed lives.
It’s unconst’l for Trump to go to war without a vote in Congress,” Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said.
Senator Bernie Sanders also joined the growing number of lawmakers opposing the involvement of the US in the war
He said: Tonight, I introduced legislation to stop Trump from leading us into an illegal war with Iran.
“Another war in the Middle East could cost countless lives, waste trillions more dollars, and lead to even more deaths, more conflict, and more displacement”
Congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Greene also warned against dragging the US into another war in the Middle East, noting that such a move is antithetical to the yearnings and needs of the American people
“Americans want cheap gas, groceries, bills, and housing.
They want affordable insurance, safe communities, and good education for their children.
They want a government that works on these issues.
Considering Americans pay for the entire government and government salaries with their hard-earned tax dollars, this is where our focus should be.
Not going into another foreign war”
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren also lent his voice to the growing strident voice of those opposing war, stressing that another endless war in the Middle East would not bode well for the US.
She said: “Allowing Netanyahu to drag us into another endless war in the Middle East would be a catastrophic error by President Trump and Republicans in Congress.
Every lawmaker needs to ring the alarm against U.S. military action in Iran. Only Congress has the authority to declare war.”
What Trump’s newfound love of war portends
If history is anything to go by, it’s that the US military interventions in the Middle East have not in any way brought stability and peace to the region. If anything, the interventions always leave in their wake death, destruction, chaos and instability. From, Iraq to Libya to Afghanistan, the story is the same.
The events and utterances that have characterised the Iran-Israeli war so far are achingly and eerily similar to what led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The US invasion of Iraq was done under the pretext of widely publicised claims of Iran’s possession of Weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The invasion cost the US trillions of dollars and it also lost thousands of military men. Over two million Iraqis were killed in the destruction of the country occasioned by unconscionable military campaigns against civilians. At the end of it all, no WMD was found.
The same propaganda and pro-war rhetoric that were carefully curated and deftly disseminated in 2003, and many gobbled it up, is being unabashedly spread today. Only the neocons in the US, Netanyahu and members of his far-right cabinet will benefit from direct US military involvement in the Israel-Iran war in Israel. The war is not about nuclear weapons but a carefully orchestrated plot to achieve Netanyahu’s goals of a greater Israel and his willingness to get rid of any obstacle standing in the way of actualising his goal. Syria has been decisively dealt with by the ousting of Bashar Assad. The focus is now on Iran.
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