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Paul Craig Roberts
Institute for Political Economy
Are We Witnessing a Tempering of American-Israeli Aggression?
Are We Witnessing a Tempering of American-Israeli Aggression?
Paul Craig Roberts
Axios reports that Biden told Netanyahu he won’t support retaliation against Iran.
Washington is reportedly worried about a major escalation fraught with “catastrophic consequences”
https://www.rt.com/news/595934-biden-no-support-iran-retaliation/
For many years Israel has been pushing Washington to attack Iran, and neoconservatives and Congress have been chomping at the bit to do so. If this report on Axios is correct, it suggests that the power of neoconservatives over US Middle East Policy has been broken. I cannot help to be a bit suspicious of the report as it attributes more sense to Biden and his regime than we have previously seen any sign of.
And there are what seem to be conflicting reports. For example: “US sends reinforcements to ‘defend Israel’” https://www.rt.com/news/595838-us-defend-israel-from-iran/ and “Biden has been clear: The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran,” US National Security Council spokeswoman stated. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/iran-warns-us-not-to-respond-says-next-attack-on-israel-will-be-more-severe-796859
There are also differing reports as to the success of the Iranian attack. As I have previously written the attack and the risks of it could have been prevented by the announcement of a Russian-Chinese-Iranian mutual defense treaty, but the political vision was absent.
The attack could also have been prevented if Syria had been permitted to use Russian air defense systems in Syria to prevent the Israeli attack on Damascus that provoked the Iranian retaliatory response.
If the Axios report is correct, the downside is that it is likely to convince Putin and Xi that Washington has finally come to its senses, and they will put their guard down and be tricked into more deceiving agreements like the Minsk Agreement resulting in even more distrust.
It has taken a long time for Zionist Israel to discredit itself. It did so with Israel’s declared policy of genocide of the Palestinians. As it was our bombs, missiles, and money that Israel used, America was also discredited.
The self-inflicted diminution of American prestige and its isolation as the supporter of Israel’s attempted genocide of Palestine has altered the balance of power and influence in the world. With the impoverished Houthis standing up to mighty America and Israel, and with Iran finally standing up to Israel, it is possible that the American-Israeli aggression leading to nuclear war has been tempered. The recent firing of Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland is another possible indication.
Haaretz, the only objective Israeli newspaper, says Netanyahu should accept that the Iranian response was a limited attack provoked by Israel’s attack that murdered Iranian officials in Damascus and refrain from further military action. US bases throughout the Middle East and Israel’s Dimona nuclear arsenal are easy targets for a heavy Iranian attack. If Israel pushes further, a major war will erupt.
Perhaps it will dawn on Putin and Xi to stabilize the Middle East with announcement of a Russian-Chinese-Iranian mutual defense treaty. It is the absence of countervailing power in the Middle East that has made the region a tinderbox.