Columnists
Whither America?
The Iran Nuclear Deal
Part II
FATEHPAL SINGH TARNEY
The Republicans in the United States see no contradiction in kowtowing to a foreign leader and power -- Israel and its prime minister -- whilst, at the same time, disrespecting the American President.
The chief executive determining American foreign policy in the Middle East today, it appears, sadly, is no longer the American President, but the Israeli prime minister.
We currently have a Republican Congress that simply hangs on Natanyahu’s every word. Remember, he is the man who, in 2002, told America that taking out Saddam Hussein was going to have lasting, positive effects in the region.
He was wrong.
So what makes anyone think that he is correct now in egging us on to war with Iran?
Pity that any American politician would even imply today that Israel is not blameless in its actions in the Middle East.
On the other hand, a person who would even dare to point out the obvious, for example, that continued Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and continued mistreatment of Palestinians by Israeli settlers are violations of international law, would be vilified.
This should not happen. Not in a democracy. Not in America.
Americans scratch their heads and wonder why we are resented and hated not only in the Islamic world, but in much of the world at large.
Well, it is not our way of life, but our muddled policies that have caused this. We are in denial that there is any connection between our blind support for Israel and the willingness of some people to kill themselves in order to kill some of us.
Unfortunately, this is a discussion we cannot have today – particularly in the halls and corridors of our very government.
Moreover, just consider some of the recent Republican comments about the tentative agreement Obama has managed to reach with the Iranians:
One said that this agreement was worse than that between Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler in 1938.
Another, former representative, Michele Bachmann, equated Obama with the German co-pilot who deliberately crashed a passenger plane into the French Alps. She said that Obama's accord with the Iranians was tantamount to mass suicide for the entire United States!
I reiterate my contention that the disunity within our government and society as a whole is encouraging our enemies and enabling them to recruit more terrorists and mobilize them for more injurious actions against us at home and abroad.
Is that what we want?
April 5, 2015
Conversation about this article
1: Brig. Nawab Singh Heer (Ret.) (New York, USA), April 05, 2015, 1:13 PM.
There is a very thin line between peace and war. Hawks like Natanyahu and the Republicans would like to tilt the balance towards confrontation. Republicans made the big mistake of calling the Israeli PM to address Congress -- insulting their own President deliberately. Their curt remarks notwithstanding, Obama has raised his standing and earned new respect by negotiating the treaty with Iran. Hope it paves the way for lasting peace on this planet. All of us Americans must understand that the Iraq-Afghanistan adventure has helped us in no way. Let us now together press for peace.
2: Rup Singh (Canada), April 05, 2015, 6:52 PM.
"Continued Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and continued mistreatment of Palestinians by Israeli settlers are violations of international law." Would not that make them occupiers rather than settlers? Well said. You have the courage to say things most won't or are unable to. Today I think war is about weakening nations and controlling their natural resources: a new kind of imperialism, I believe. The bringing down of dictators in Iraq, Egypt and Libya are examples of this. Large countries with a lot of natural resources, all near Israel, coincidence? Iran seems the next target. Yet no real help for the suffering Syrians, Palestinians, or in Africa.
3: Sarvjit Singh (Millis, Massachusetts, USA), April 05, 2015, 7:03 PM.
Republicans wants to restore what they perceive as the lost glory of American might and respect that they think they once commanded. The epitome of their philosophy is Reagan diplomacy that resulted in the biggest threat ever from the Soviet USSR. Those hawkish policies delivered a good result at that time. Reagan went to wild west duels and never blinked and called it a win. This is exactly what White, Christian Republicans want to restore. In Obama they see erosion of Chrisitian, conservative values and they deem him evil. It is very sad because this happens even when he is right and makes sense and represents what the true founding fathers would have cherished; he is still considered wrong. He is trying not to meddle in foreign wars as best as he can. It is plain unfair to compare Chamberlain in 1938 and Obama. In 1938, Hitler's Nazi Germany was far more superior to Britain in its military and industrial might. It was akin to what USSR was in 1980s. In today's context Iran is not a threat, at least directly, to USA and even if it was, it can be easily contained. Though, there's one thing that Republicans are absolutely correct, and that is that USA is at war with militant Islam and not just the fringe elements of Islam. Sooner or later politicians will have to openly admit it. Islam is a closed society and hardly any Muslims consider their own as their enemy, at least not in the same degree as the West does.
4: Kaala Singh (Punjab), April 07, 2015, 12:47 PM.
The US attacked Iraq not because of "faulty intelligence", they knew exactly that Iraq did not have the means to defend itself. They are hesitant to attack Iran because they know that Iran is a strong country. If Iran takes the same road and attacks Israel, they too will discover at a huge cost, the futility of war.