Michael Patterson
Member
Well I disagree - I think Trump has had to battle hawks on one side and a Democratic party that would grab at any excuse to attack him. If we get President Trump unleashed for another four years, I expect great things - but OK, he isn't a Pagan!
In recent years I have also come to see Israel in a slightly different light. Europe let in a large number of mainly Muslim refugees as a result of the Syrian war and other reasons. Some of them have used that opportunity to attack us. For example, about 20 teenage kids at a pop concert were slaughtered in Manchester UK by a suicide gunman with a bomb in a rucksack.
This has lead me to realise that Israel literally cannot form peace with Hamas, because Hamas simply wants to fight for total victory - rather like ISIS (though I think they belong to the other branch of Islam, but I am not sure. The best Israel can do right now is to stop the wall being breached, because the aim of Hamas is to infiltrate Israel in order to perform further bomb attacks.
Saudi Arabia is another matter, and I am not privy to Trumps real views on that state, but one thing is certain - making the US independent in oil and gas, will give them the option to turn the screws on that horrid regime - but not, please not, another regime change war!
I think we both want an end to war, do let's not fight about this!
David
Rachel Maddow's book, Blowout, offers an interesting insight into the oil business, including how much Trump is motivated to overturn the current sanctions against Russia so it can restore access to western tech, without which it cannot preserve its fading capacity to tap its oil and gas reserves. It is interesting that Rex Tillerson, current Sec of State, was doing deals with Putin before Trump became POTUS as head of Exxon Mobil. This just adds a worrying dimension to the Trump/Russia nexus
The US capacity to be independent in oil and gas is subject to a bunch of issues, and should it succeed that does not give any assurance it will turn on the Saudis. The last thing the US wants is for the Saudis to cosy up to the Russians, but Trump may deliver that.
You might find 'America's war for the Greater Middle East' by Andrew Bacevich instructive. A useful insight is that the US, and the west in general has failed to factor cultural and religious elements into its assessment. Of course Hamas won't compromise with Israel. Why would they? You write as if Hamas represents an illegitimate agency, seeming to forget that Israel is a gift of other people's land made to the Jews made by Europeans. The presumption that the Jews have a legitimate claim the land is one based entirely on a narrative invented by European Christians. It is sentimental and has no sound logic to it outside a disputable theology. Given that most of the Jews were living in Europe it would have been fairer to have carved off a piece of Germany and neighbouring nations.
But no, while the Europeans felt bad about how the Jews were treated in Europe they also wanted them to piss off. The land that became Israel was not for the Europeans to give. This is not a pro/anti Jewish matter. You don't take other people's property and give it to somebody you feel sorry for.
I don't like Hamas, but I get their anger. The Europeans didn't offer the Palestinians any serious compensation for being displaced - and that makes it worse. I used to be a fan of the plucky Israelis, because that was the propaganda that was spun. Then I discovered that even though 'God' had 'given' them their land they managed to screw it up twice, and then the third time round? Seriously?