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The cease-fire was always just a Trump fantasy.
The Iran war is the most glaring public example of Trump having strayed from reality.
If Donald Trump ever had any control over the war he started with Iran, he’s lost it. The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president. The “cease-fire” Trump declared last month—a move probably meant to both soothe international markets and avert legislative action from the United States Congress—never really existed, because neither side ever ceased firing.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) seems to exist only in the minds of Trump and his administration minions.
The MOU was practically an instrument of American capitulation that the Iranians could have drafted themselves, but Trump wanted to get out of the war, and so he signed it—appropriately enough, at Versailles. The Iranians have made clear that they don’t care about the MOU or, for that matter, what Trump thinks or wants. They are willing to inflict more damage on the Gulf States, and they’re willing to accept damage in return. These are signs of a state directing a war rather than reacting to one. Iran is measuring costs and risks. It is pursuing the achievable goals of regime survival, control of the strait, and preservation of its nuclear program. The Trump administration, for its part, bumbled into this war without a strategy. Instead, it relied on bad assumptions, outdated information, and the president’s gut feelings. I
When Trump has a "gut feeling" he should take Pepcid or TUMS instead of starting another war.
Speaking of ailments, Trump's dementia was on full display at the NATO summit in Ankara.
Even by his usual standards, Trump has been incoherent in Ankara, Turkey, where he’s attending a NATO summit. Over the course of 24 hours, he has renewed his demands for the United States to own Greenland; confused Iran with Japan; and confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also noted that his videos are popular on “Tic Tac.” He meant “TikTok.” Little wonder, then, that he seems unable to give sensible answers to questions about the renewed hostilities.
Republicans know Trump is nuts but refuse to do anything about it – but that's another story.
Tom Nichols, who wrote the linked article, taught at the US Naval War College for years. He describes how Trump's actions make absolutely no military sense.
One good guideline, however, is to avoid threatening your enemy and then immediately announcing that you really have no stomach for a fight. Strong leaders keep their own counsel and let their actions speak for them; weak leaders make threats and then broadcast how much they don’t want to carry them out.
It's impossible for Trump to ever keep his porcine mouth shut. He simply can't stop blathering about stuff he knows nothing about.
The Palestine flag made with a children's toy's catalog
Cease-Fire (Odyssey) - Darrell Riche
More cards with art by Darrell Riche on Scryfall
Massive crowds descended on downtown Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Protesters' messaging at the event centered on calls to end U.S. aid to Israel and for a cease-fire.
It’s not anti-semitic to criticize the Israeli government and their disproportionate response which has killed over 9,000 Palestinians. If a cease-fire isn’t agreed upon, and the slaughter of thousands of innocent Palestinians continues, tenuous support among Americans and others around the world will dry up. The Palestinian deaths and destruction in Gaza is causing irreparable damage to the region and is intensifying hostility toward Israel by other Arab nations.
The two state solution - a compromise proposed in the 1940′s that would create a Palestinian state - has been jeopardized by Israel’s expansion of Jewish settlements into Palestinian territory. So much so that it may never happen.
For eighty years this conflict has disrupted the lives of millions of Israelis and Palestinians. You would think they’d be willing to discuss some sort of resolution other than genocide of the Palestinians.
"We are as close as we think we have ever been," said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
Don't hold your breath. Netanyahu relies on continuing the genocide to maintain power.
Christian activists demonstrate for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war after an Ash Wednesday Mass near the White House in Washington, Feb. 14, 2024. (RNS photo/Aleja Hertzler-McCain)