Israel strikes Iran

[Ken]

Part of Iran’s poor choice (and Syria’s) was to ally with the USSR, and later on continue that relationship with Russia. It was a poor choice in the 1960s and continues to be a poor choice today.

One reason America ended up allied with Israel in the 1960s is because every other country was already mixed up with the USSR.

Iran was a US ally until 1979. Of course the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup that brought the Shaw to power was a black spot. But in the early 20th Century the US had extremely good relations with Iran and Iranians were very pro-American which they saw as a buffer against British imperialism in the region.

[JohnH]

Part of Iran’s poor choice (and Syria’s) was to ally with the USSR, and later on continue that relationship with Russia. It was a poor choice in the 1960s and continues to be a poor choice today.

One reason America ended up allied with Israel in the 1960s is because every other country was already mixed up with the USSR.

Iran was a US ally until 1979. Of course the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup that brought the Shaw to power was a black spot. But in the early 20th Century the US had extremely good relations with Iran and Iranians were very pro-American which they saw as a buffer against British imperialism in the region.

Yeah. And America’s approach was to completely ignore what the people wanted and instead try to run Iran like a client state. One of the incredibly unpopular moves was banning hijabs / headscarves and traditional clothing.

In a sense, this is America’s fault.

[temporal1]

prayers for all as this conflict progresses.

special prayers for President Trump to be led by God to right paths as he navigates this critical challenge.
prayers for what many believe is his core consistent passion to avoid/minimize violent military action.

this is a test.

he has so many cruel enemies. foreign and domestic.

God give him strength, direction, wisdom. for everyone’s sake.

[Soloist]

prayers for all as this conflict progresses.

special prayers for President Trump to be led by God to right paths as he navigates this critical challenge.
prayers for what many believe is his core consistent passion to avoid/minimize violent military action.

this is a test.

he has so many cruel enemies. foreign and domestic.

God give him strength, direction, wisdom. for everyone’s sake.

And that’s why he directed the military to send a third carrier group, a fleet of aerial refuelers to the area. His actions are anything but peace. These are aggressive moves for an actual engagement. I don’t have access to the marine assault ships so I don’t know if we are actually invading or just going to drop bunker busters.

[Ken]

Part of Iran’s poor choice (and Syria’s) was to ally with the USSR, and later on continue that relationship with Russia. It was a poor choice in the 1960s and continues to be a poor choice today.

One reason America ended up allied with Israel in the 1960s is because every other country was already mixed up with the USSR.

Iran was a US ally until 1979. Of course the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup that brought the Shaw to power was a black spot. But in the early 20th Century the US had extremely good relations with Iran and Iranians were very pro-American which they saw as a buffer against British imperialism in the region.

Yeah. And America’s approach was to completely ignore what the people wanted and instead try to run Iran like a client state. One of the incredibly unpopular moves was banning hijabs / headscarves and traditional clothing.

In a sense, this is America’s fault.

Let's look at that. This is what actually happened: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashf-e_hijab

On 8 January 1936, Reza Shah of Iran (Persia) issued a decree known as Kashf-e hijab (also Romanized as Kashf-e hijāb and Kashf-e hejāb, Persian: کشف حجاب, lit. 'Unveiling') banning all Islamic veils (including hijab and chador), an edict that was swiftly and forcefully implemented. The government also banned many types of male traditional clothing.

The ban was enforced for a period of five years (1936–1941); after this, women were free to dress as they wished for forty years until the Iranian Revolution of 1979, when the reverse ban against unveiling was introduced. One of the enduring legacies of Reza Shah is turning dress into an integral problem of Iranian politics.

And how is this America's fault?

[Szdfan]

prayers for all as this conflict progresses.

special prayers for President Trump to be led by God to right paths as he navigates this critical challenge.
prayers for what many believe is his core consistent passion to avoid/minimize violent military action.

this is a test.

he has so many cruel enemies. foreign and domestic.

God give him strength, direction, wisdom. for everyone’s sake.

And that’s why he directed the military to send a third carrier group, a fleet of aerial refuelers to the area. His actions are anything but peace. These are aggressive moves for an actual engagement. I don’t have access to the marine assault ships so I don’t know if we are actually invading or just going to drop bunker busters.

I don’t think Trump was ever the peacenik that people projected on him. What’s interesting to watch is the split within MAGA between the anti-war and more pro-war factions. Tucker Carlson’s interview / fight with Ted Cruz that’s viral right now is an expression of that.

[Ken]

I don’t think Trump was ever the peacenik that people projected on him. What’s interesting to watch is the split within MAGA between the anti-war and more pro-war factions. Tucker Carlson’s interview / fight with Ted Cruz that’s viral right now is an expression of that.

He actually ran as one in 2016, opposing war in the middle east. Here is a short 2 min clip from one of the 2016 primary debates. Curious how he may be changing his tone now:

[JohnH]

Has Trump actually invaded Iran or said he plans to?

[Soloist]

Has Trump actually invaded Iran or said he plans to?

He’s threatened indirectly, and either our military is acting without orders, or he’s ordered our military and positions ready to attack.

[Ken]

Has Trump actually invaded Iran or said he plans to?

He just spent over billion dollars to send thousands of air strikes against the Houthis. How did that work out? Did they accomplish anything? Did they destroy the Houthis' missile capability?

Now he is contemplating the same thing against Iran which is a far more distant target in a much larger country that has vastly more resources to cover up, bury, and hide its nuclear capabilities.

If air strikes against Iran prove as ineffective as those against the Houthis, will the US just concede defeat and go home? Or will it escalate? What do you think? What is the end-game here when US air strikes turn out not to have worked? This is exactly how small military actions become big ones and how we incrementally work our way into large scale war.