The deal with Iran may be imperfect but it is what the American people want
The Iran war has put the US in a difficult position, but Trump has made the most of it. When it comes to the war
The Iran war has put the US in a difficult position, but Trump has made the most of it. When it comes to the war with Iran and the subsequent peace deal, there are four distinct reactions in the United States. There are those who supported the war and now support the peace. There are those who supported the war and are not satisfied with the peace. There are those who were against the war and are now against the peace. And there are those who were against the war and are now for the peace. This last group is the largest and most important because it represents the vast bulk of the American people who have consistently voiced their displeasure with another Middle East war but are applauding any peace deal that will offer them relief at the gas pump and at the grocery store. The smallest group is the first, which is largely contained to the White House communications team and President Donald Trump. The third group is made up of congressional Democrats who are united only in their opposition to whatever the president does. The second group, of course, is congressional Republicans who cheered loudly when the bombs started dropping but have jeered quietly while examining the details of the memorandum of understanding and seeing nothing that gives them hope that this will lead to a better place than President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with the Iranian regime in 2015. This only becomes problematic for Trump and his administration if he decides that Congress does have a role in approving whatever more permanent agreement emerges after a couple of months more of negotiations.
It is hard to say with a straight face that what the president achieved here was that much better than what Obama achieved in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). But we did learn several things during this exercise, which might be useful for the future. First, we learned that taking out the Iranian regime and replacing it with something more friendly to both Israel and the US is impossible to do without boots on the ground. It became pretty clear early on that the American people had no interest in any attacks involving ground troops, even on Kharg Island. Second, we learned that when push comes to shove, the Americans and the Israelis have the will and ability to take out the Iranian leadership and are not bound by laws that typically frown upon the assassinations of foreign leaders. Third, we learned that the Iranians have plenty of assets at their disposal that can make life uncomfortable for the global economy and for their neighbours in the Middle East. Attacking them comes at a cost. Fourth, we learned that Israel can’t be trusted when it comes to its promises for a short and sweet war. There is no such thing as a short and sweet war, not in the Middle East. Things are always more complicated than they seem. Fifth, we learned that our allies won’t support us when we attack another country. In wars of choice, NATO is not “gonna play”. Sixth, we learned that the Iranians are impossible to negotiate with, and so it is important to understand that no agreement is really completely settled with them.
The BriefWire