Israel’s right to survive. Keeping oil flowing into the world economy. Jazzing up T rump’s base. Mo’ money, mo’ money, mo’ money for the military industrial establishment. Distracting from other news that T rump does not like. Giving hard ons to chicken hawks who think submission or regime change will be accomplished. There are many things that the war is probably about.
Sad to see that otherwise bright people want to attribute it to just being about Israel. Tho Nitwityahoo, really needs something big to happen in order to maintain his power in Israel these days.
The Iranians sent missiles to some US bases in Iraq. This was a beginning of their response to the Soleimani assassination, but I think it could also technically be called an attack on the US occupying forces who are now in Iran’s ally, Iraq’s, country without permission.
T rump has promised 52 sites to be attacked in Iran.
It looks like Iran is giving T rump an out. They reportedly said that if the US does not respond to this latest attack, then they will stop. Otherwise it sounds like they are ready to go to War town bigtime.
Iran’s retaliatory response was a very light metaphorical slap to the snout of the US. Almost no damage. A token response, that could not merit T rump’s insane promises of destruction in response. So we tentatively go back to a pre-US assassination of Iran’s favorited son. Except Iran is in a superior position to what it was. Iran now has zero lingering commitment to the Nuclear limitation deal. Iran now is in a position of moral superiority in Iraq. The US is in a position of staying in the soveriegn nation of Iraqa against Iraq’s will. Our NATO “friends” are unlikely to respond well to T rump’s call for their assistance, when T rump has shown that he will unilaterally do whatever he wants whenever he wants without even consulting them. So T rump who has no skill or interest in being a team player, is not likely to get an eager team together.
Mr. “sanctions and tariffs man”, T rump, is back for the moment ahead of Mr “worst military sanctions ever threats” T rump.
T rump is back to MAX Pressure on Iran, with the goal of utter capitulation or regime change by Iran. That policy has gotten us to this narrow avoidance of the brink of war, with a current, but probably very temporary step back from the precipice.
He should have a nametag with “Trainee” on it. He just tried his style of low level war, committed one war crime, threatened another, and we watched as he said, “sorry, didn’t know about that international law thing on cultural sites”.