This is an important editorial:
“Fifteen years ago this week, Colin Powell, then the secretary of state, spoke at the United Nations to sell pre-emptive war with Iraq. As his chief of staff, I helped Secretary Powell paint a clear picture that war was the only choice, that when “we confront a regime that harbors ambitions for regional domination, hides weapons of mass destruction and provides haven and active support for terrorists, we are not confronting the past, we are confronting the present. And unless we act, we are confronting an even more frightening future.”
Following Mr. Powell’s presentation on that cold day, I considered what we had done. At the moment, I thought all our work was for naught — and despite his efforts we did not gain substantial international buy-in. But polls later that day and week demonstrated he did convince many Americans. I knew that was why he was chosen to make the presentation in the first place: his standing with the American people was more solid than that of any other member of the Bush administration.
President George W. Bush would have ordered the war even without the United Nations presentation, or if Secretary Powell had failed miserably in giving it. But the secretary’s gravitas was a significant part of the two-year-long effort by the Bush administration to get Americans on the war wagon.
That effort led to a war of choice with Iraq — one that resulted in catastrophic losses for the region and the United States-led coalition, and that destabilized the entire Middle East.
This should not be forgotten, since the Trump administration is using much the same playbook to create a false impression that war is the only way to address the threats posed by Iran. …”
We dodged a bullet when the CIA’s “Dark Prince” Michael D’Andrea’s Iran operation failed. It is disturbing though to think we are even trying to undermine the Iranian government. Wasn’t ‘America First’ supposed to be a rejection of neocon regime change in the Middle East?
Now that sabotage has failed, where does the US Empire go from here on Iran? Are the people behind this push for regime change in Iran going to give up that easily?
As much as I dislike and distrust Trump I don’t think he is stupid or reckless enough to get the US into an actual war against Iran. I’m no military strategist but Iran is a huge country with vast deserts, high plateaus and tall mountains. And I doubt Russia and Red China would stand around doing nothing if the US attacked their strategic ally. Besides, there is no way the US could muster an army large enough to invade and conquer such a place, especially with no draft.
More than likely they’d try with a half sized force like what they used for Iraq.
Then the Great Pimp Slap would occur, our regional naval assets would get their worst blooding since 1945, and interesting times would be afoot.
Interesting times, indeed.
One scenario that the British Empire used to use was to send a battalion of good line infantry and a batalion of lancers up into Afghanisindhislanwanahina and small army of unreliable nigger Sepoys and coolies. The expedition would over extend itself, there would be a debacle and the battalion of infantry would be wiped out. The coolies and sepoys would all be dead and some Cavalry would make a dashing escape. The enraged British public and (((press))) would then demand a punitive war where Kandaharbullawayopeking would be razed and looted.
That’s what might happen here.
If the scumbag Israelis want Iran wrecked let THEM try, but if they encounter difficulties, too bad for them. No help for the aggressor from the US.
War with Iran seems like a nuclear red line to me. If they go after Iran, Russia knows it’s next.
Very revealing editorial in the NYT of all places. It simply confirms everything the anti-war faction was saying at the time and which proved to be true. War with Iran would be a proxy war with Russia. Is Trump and the usual suspects that insane to go that route?
I hope Russia will risk nuclear war to stop the USA. Russia is finished if all the countries in the ME are US puppets that can be used to create Sunni extremists to fight Russia, like Libya was was used to create fighters to try to take out Assad in Syria.
All the wars, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen are about a new map for the Middle East, one friendly for US-Israeli interests, so it’s no way they will stop before the big one, Iran.
Because the new map was the real reason for the wars, all the public reasons have been ad hoc ones, and I’m sure they will manage to cook something up for Iran as well.
Americans who were taught that freedom is good might wonder why they are now being told to embrace tyranny.
Americans who were taught that debt is bad might wonder why they are now being told that debt is good.
Americans who were taught that peace is good might wonder why they are now being told to embrace wars.
Americans who were told to love their country might wonder why no one says anything while the USA collapses.