Interesting and thought-provoking article from the TELEGRAPH
in regard to the recent massive Iranian attack on Israel that basically fizzled
as outlined in this headline story:
“America has just reminded us there is only one world superpower”
As conflicted as our
judgements might be about Israel’s conduct of its war in Gaza, there should be
no ambiguity about our condemnation of Iran’s recent attack on Israel. Our
outrage should be as deafening as was our outrage when Putin attacked Ukraine on February
22, 2022.
Within our developed world order there is no place for unilateral acts of aggression towards the sovereign territory of one country by another. Such actions sit totally outside the international security structure of the UN created by multilateral agreement after the chaos of the Second World War and invigilated by the UN Security Council. Iran has made a grave error in a direct attack on Israel.
It is only through the technical excellence of
Israel’s air defense systems and the willing cooperation of some of her allies
that this attack did not result in mass civilian casualties.
The pressure on Israel from the United States and other western countries, including the United Kingdom, to moderate its behavior in Gaza has been put on hold while those same countries have stood with Israel in repelling Iran’s illegal attack.
Of course, Israel was firmly in the lead in
conducting its defensive operations against the Iranian attack, but the role of
the U.S. Central Command was pivotal as well.
As much as China, Russia,
or even Iran might like to believe they have superpower status, there is only
one military superpower in the world still, and that is the United States.
Even though Trump might like the U.S. to step back from its international policing duties, President Biden was in no doubt over the last few days that the U.S. through Central Command (CENTCOM) has a vital role to protect the rights of one country when threatened by another.
To the credit of
other countries such as our own, there was a willingness to contribute to this
defensive military operation. The UK's Prime Minister’s confirmation that RAF
fighter jets shot down Iranian drones over Syria and Iraq claims justifiable
credit for the UK participation in the operation.
The challenge for the next few days is, how does Israel react to the events of the weekend?
Israeli minister Benny Gantz has said: “Israel will exact a price from Iran in timing that is right for us.”
In war, timing is everything, but the right time might not be now. Israel has burnt up much of its international support after the October 7 massacre by its heavy-handed tactics in Gaza – a poorly thought through operational campaign with no deliverable strategic objective – so would be well advised to pause now and make carefully considered decisions.
A massive reaction against Iran itself could be counter-productive. Unlike Israel, Iran does not have sophisticated air defense systems and its allies are a polyglot array of terrorist groups scattered around the Middle East.
A major strike by Israel on Tehran, Iran’s oil fields, or putative nuclear sites could result in massive destruction and loss of life. A more nuanced approach would be to pause, reflect, and then decide what action to take.
My 2 Cents: This article proves how great America is and how reserved President Biden is to boot … the right man at the right time – make no mistake about that.
My message right now for the GOP: Take the damn politics out of mess in the ME and help Israel against Iran and Ukraine against Russia – that is the right combo to show our resolve and strength about who we are and what we stand for.
Thanks for stopping by.
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