"It's pretty remarkable that no Republican or Democratic president since [President Bush I] has been willing to put meaningful pressure on Israel," said Khaled Elgindy, a fellow at the Brookings Institution.
The US Secretary of State who diplomatically negotiated the Obama Iran Peace Deal will be a cabinet-level member of the incoming Biden administration. John Kerry is, like me and other anti-war veterans I work with, a Vietnam veteran who had the courage to oppose that sad, tragic war. Sure, that was a long time ago and lots of corrupting governmental experience has come in the interim. Plus, it's true his portfolio in a Biden administration is in the area of climate change. But Biden has made a point of putting his old friend John Kerry in the room of White House meetings related to war and national security.
Given the unanticipated consequences that unfolded in our past Middle Eastern debacles, an all-out war between The Abraham Accords nations and Iran could too easily lead to a conflagration that spreads across the globe and affects the climate dramatically. If nothing else, it would suck great amounts of tax-money away from climate change projects. Think of the estimated five to six trillion (that's with a "t") dollars that went down the tubes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Actually, much of it went into the coffers of arms manufacturers.
The American people are supposed to be thankful to President Donald Trump for removing America's sons and daughters from harm's way in a future war with Iran. Still, such a war would certainly be significantly paid for by US tax-payer dollars and armed with the most sophisticated US weapons and intelligence. But young Johnny and Mary-Lou wouldn't have to go there to shed blood or die. Tragically and immorally, that makes war easier for Americans to accept by allowing them to perceive they have no stake in the death and destruction.
There is no good reason why our new president can't shift the post-Trump foreign policy of the United States in the Middle East from a hostile war-focused track back where it was to a track focused on negotiating a stable, live-and-let-live peace. Of course, this may upset Israel and Saudi Arabia, and ending the carte-blanche support of Israel's and Saudi Arabia's belligerent policies would require skilled diplomacy. And due to the hostilities built up by the Trump administration, re-establishing the Iran peace deal will obviously take some time for Iran. In the meantime, opening a diplomatic line with Iran and keeping Israeli and Saudi Arabian belligerence in check would be a noble posture for the Biden administration to assume.
The Biden administration has a chance to avoid future debacles like the ones we went through in Iraq and elsewhere. Let's not forget the US sponsored Saddam Hussein attack on Iran that led to the grisly, horrific Iran-Iraq War. Think of this kind of peace-making as elevating the de-escalation tactics advocated by smart police forces up to the international diplomatic level.
It's hard to find fault with the idea of Jews and Arabs getting over the "4000-year-old sibling rivalry [that] originated in the tents of Abraham." But to create such a pact with the goal of military intimidation fueled with US funds and US weapons is a disaster waiting to happen. The world does not need another Middle Eastern war, and the incoming Biden administration should use its good diplomatic offices to prevent that.
[ For the original story that includes photos and linkages, go to: www.thiscantbehappening.net ]
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
1
1
