Over a decade ago, the US and Western nations would feign concern for the loss of innocent life while they waged a war. Terms such as Collateral or Unintentional would be thrown around, even when all evidence points in the opposite direction. There was a need for benevolent war fighting, to satisfy the narrative for the domestic voting block, to package war and intervention in accordance with corporate spin but also to impress upon the rest of the world, that the killers are in fact the good guys.
The West and the US now don’t seem to concern themselves with such perceptions. With Israel’s current wave of imperial encroachments against it’s neighbours, the genocide against the Palestinians and the US with the Hegseth Department of War, does not even pretend to perfume the language. Whether this is because the voters at home, simply don’t care if blood is on their electoral ballets, or the corporate interests have no real interest other than to serve the biggest customer, the nation state. As for the allies, they are obligated and locked into a bi-polar world of Them versus Us, in this case the us is the US and it’s closest allies.
The them in this equation are more interested in persuading their enemies voters, public and wider world of the moral righteousness of their cause. Even as repressive regimes with histories of indignity and tyranny against the individual, they are winning the war of morality by being the bullied, defender and those who are expressing an interest and care for the innocent. The revenge attacks are, as best as is being claimed, not random and reckless. They are focused and targeted at least more than the Western allies can claim to be, past and present. It’s a war that has in the shooting aspects, been limited, the death toll is slight by historical contrasts. The repercussions economically and geopolitically will be felt for some time.
The war master president is a man who is proud of his inability to read, which seems to be the theme for modern Western society. TL;DR is a flex for a short attention spanned mentality which shrinks the world into binaries, reacts emotionally without consideration or thought. In his ghost written book, The Art of the Deal, Trumps manifesto to his own nepotistic genius, he claims “go with your gut.” This may be brushed off on the surface level but it’s also the hubristic arrogance of narcissistic people to believe that they, and they alone are correct, based on their feelings. Feelings that tend to steer their own self interest, and they can change whenever it suits them.
For those who believe in the need to have political leaders at all, it begs the question, why are people attracted to socio-paths and those who exhibit simplistic views. Or, in the case of Trump, one who says plenty of words which contradict and blather about the place with reckless stupidity. His assurances in trusting his own “gut” and going in the direction of steered by the last person he spoke with, is all that matters. For the rest of the world, it’s his status as ‘leader’ and the magical powers imbued into him through government fiat. He has the power to execute orders which will lead to the misery and mass death of thousands, potentially millions despite his chronic incoherence. A different form than what was suffered beneath mentally declining Joe Biden, the ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ president.
Trump is a man of poor discipline, weak will, who has mistaken connections and birth right with genius. His hubris is akin to a North Korean supreme leader, born into a position and status, except for him it was through eminent domain, familial connections, celebrity capitalism and brushing shoulders and loins with king makers and creatures of politics. He has achieved his dream of being the most famous man in the world, and now much to the chagrin of most of us, he is apparently the most powerful. For those who believe in government as the only way, and worship upon it’s bloody alter, one would think this moment would raise reflection. Instead, it is likely for them a testament, if only a saint was elected. Despite the checks, balances and layers of legal frameworks meant to protect the citizen, run the empire through rule of law, it’s just inconsistencies and injustice. War, being the health of the state and the protector of vile people.
It does not take much for Iran and it’s allies to win any propaganda war, for all their repressive faults they have been mostly consistent and stable. Any attempts towards liberal reforms ruined by external imperialism, only to empower hard liners. This war for Iran will likely invigorate the war hawks and most repressive who shall seize it as an opportunity to force unity, to force cohesion and ensure that all serve the State. The lie of the USA, being a bright shining example on the hill is one that never really was realised. Instead it was an imperial bully. Manifest destiny from the frontiers of the West to the wider world.
The world is run by incompetence, corruption and hateful creatures who use the institutions of governance to profit themselves, push their ideals or lack of values and to control the rest of us. And, every so often wars break out. No longer for any credible reasons. They just happen, whether to assist in liberal democracies domestic politics, or dictators hoping that they can save their regime with a foreign adventure, or the desire to reclaim ancient or racially entitled lands. Whether it’s religiously inspired, ideological or for a greater nation-empire it’s always certain and the victory shall justify the means.
For Iran, this is a defensive war. A nation that has been betrayed and deceived by the US and it’s allies for decades. In fact the one constant for the world is not to trust the American government, they will lie. Betray what they promise or say and will act with violence, whether impulsive or predictable. The world is tired of it. And, this war is a needle on a camels stacked back. It may have broken. The hegemonic dominance of the US and the West itself is at an end. What comes next may be very revealing and uncomfortable for places of the world accustomed to comfort and living at the expense of the rest.
Revenge is a powerful energy. It is may be sought. The intended victims won’t be just the political class and governments but other symbols, and individuals randomly harmed because they are slumped beneath a collective blanket. This is both just and total war according the legal and academic traditions of the West, so why would the rest of the world not practice it? Maybe, they are better. They have values that are less inclined to murder and starve en masse? Unlikely.
Time shall tell. At the very least, the enemies seem to be interested in the optics, the perception of righteousness. That’s something. They are at least trying or pretending to, not hurt innocent people or punish the wider world.
Right now, the IDF is having a combatants crisis, it does not have enough bodies in uniform. The legacy of wars and elite status of the IDF has revealed an ill disciplined mostly conscript force that has become a checkpoint-occupation military. While the Air Force and specialist units still remain the best in the world, they don’t have enough. They also don’t have enough munitions and weapon systems. They are struggling to face the asymmetric and direct realities of modern warfare. A form of warfare that the West and it’s big budget wonder weapons have seemingly ignored or dismissed.
As for the US, the carrier fleet has become as relevant as the battleship once was. Just as Billy Mitchell proved before World War Two the flaws of large surface warships when faced by air power, and was mostly ignored. The war and the losses of battleships, and the supremacy of air power proved him and other thinkers correct. The drone and small disposable weapons have shown that low tech, in numbers are more effective than monuments of empire, such as the ‘stealth’ littoral warships or the air craft carrier. The 20th century may be over, but the US and it’s allies think in such terms.
Iran, like Japan towards the second world wars end is fighting for it’s survival. It has a nationalist and religious zealotry that has steeled many of it’s fighters. It seeks alternatives that are outside the box, but unlike the battleship obsessed Imperial Japanese Navy, or the over stretched army of that empire, Iran is focused. It’s efforts on suicide boats, mini subs, drones and missiles that can overwhelm the wizardry of the Star Wars deluded intercept missile religion of the USA. This is a war, where big budgets, as immense as they are, struggle when it comes to logistics and time to manufacture uber weapon systems. When a confused mission, an incoherent leadership and a personnel starved military all converges against the spears of a determined and defensive enemy, it won’t end well.
“Send in the marines!”
The tip of the spear of the US empire, brave and skilful, yet incapable of storming these beaches. This will be no Normandy or Inchon, certainly no stroll onto the beaches of South Vietnam. It won’t even be the bloody shores of Iwo Jima or Okinawa. It would be more like the mobile infantry dropped onto alien planet, under armed, in small numbers, acting as fodder against an underestimated enemy as the bugs of Klandathu were in Starship Troopers. And given, Trump and his acolytes likely have not read the pages of history, through the expression of Hollywood may be the only way to communicate to them. There will be no island hoping to victory, let alone ability to hold the islands of the Gulf should they be taken. It is Iran’s lake. They own it.
Just as it is unlikely that the 82nd airborne will land, and take key positions. It would be far worse than Operation Market Garden, with less resources against greater risks. At least then, the planners and allied forces had a goal, understood the objective. A bridge too far or not, it made sense. Can that be said now? Without air superiority, without the dominance that the US is used to having, how will helicopters and transport planes hope to get the airborne forces on the ground? And then what? There will be no second army with tanks and infantry rolling towards Arnhem to relieve the paras. It would be a waste of human life. The blunting of the spear, for what? So that a billionaire in chief could trust his gut? All the way with Israel?
This war could end, just as easily as it started. The importance of saving face, and in the case of zealots in Israel, expanding a greater Israel is all that matters apparently. The MAGA camp and allies of the US are divided. They are obligated, or inclined to support the war, even if they don’t want to. I doubt many of the boots on the ground, the brass above them or those in the suits administrating government irrationality believe in the mission. Then again, tradition remains. The Middle East and much of the world is still smouldering and ripped at from the ambitions of the United States and it’s allies. It’s tradition for them to wage war, whether it has a purpose or the killers actually believe in the mission, it never really mattered. It’s what the world expects from the US.
While POTUS Trump may be irrational and incoherent as to what the real point of the war is, he is acting in tradition. And, is being presidential. His political rivals can’t fault him for that, and chances are they won’t. So, the war goes on.
