If I were an english major I would have phrased it as…
“And to think, all we had to do was to listen to John and Stephen 15 years ago and all of this would’ve almost surely been avoided”.
I agree with Jenny in that we should’ve known that Joe Biden would continue to make bad situations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East much worse.
Our choices for president this time are the same as last, horrendous versus horrendously horrific.
I’m voting for Jill Stein. At least she’s trying to be on the right side of history.
And if I had to guess, I think John might be voting for her too. It’s my guess that he probably can’t bring himself to vote for a malignantly narcissistic facist and he isn’t willing to vote for a warmongering, spineless, cowardly, covert narcissistic puppet who has no gumption, no original thoughts, no vision, and no backbone to stand up for that which is right.
The situation we find ourselves in is pathetic and it’s almost surely going to get much, much worse.
As has been the case in almost all circumstances those who pay the biggest price are those in the active war zones but if we continue to be foolish our luck might run out and we might end up having to finally pay the price for our mistakes.
I'm joining you in voting for Jill Stein. She's made a couple of flubs recently but nothing that can't be overlooked for the principle of a vote for her. I mean, this should be the LP's year and they've descended into the usual squabbling.
Iran, like any other self-preserving nation, can and should be expected to retaliate. That's a given. But they have also learned that only way to deal with the lunatic regime in Tel Aviv is to ratchet up the ante. You move, then I move bigger.
It is, right now, the Deep State. This includes malign actors across the National Security complex: the Pentagon , the State Department, and the NSA. There is nothing the American people can do to curb their influence. The National Security State has been the bedrock of American politics since Kennedy was shot. The only thing that will stop it is the bankruptcy of the American government. That day is coming, but as always, it's too far off to count on it.
Iran is a formidable, modern country, with a very long history - in case anyone is unaware of this: but apparently, Biden has only a foggy notion on the subject. Some entities can only learn the hard way.
Why does no one consider the possibility of Israel using nuclear weapons on Iran. They are far enough away that fallout would not be a major problem for them. After all they're backed by the only country ever to have used nuclear weapons.
If Israel nukes Iran, then Iran will go after the Israeli nuclear facilities. It’ll target just one nuclear facility with thousands of missiles so the Iron Dome can’t cope.
Iran would target either the Negev Nuclear Research Center or one of the other 4 (Tirosh, Eilabun, Yodefat or Rafael).
If this happens, then 1/4 of Israel would be radioactive.
It’s important to keep in mind that for all intents and purposes Iran has already achieved M.A.D. They do not need the shock & awe of mushroom cloud. With just the amount of enriched uranium they have now they can explode it as a dirty bomb over Israel and turn it into an irradiated a wasteland.
strategic deterrence, i.e. nuclear weapons, stop being effective once used up... Additionally Iran is far away and air defended well, maybe a launch wouldn't be decisive
It would be political suicide. Furthermore the Iranians possibly have nukes of their own and even if they don’t, could very likely annihilate Israel with purely conventional arms.
I’d like to note, for what it’s worth, that I posted this quote in a comment in the NYT: “Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: “Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful.”
Not only did they run the comment, but it’s gotten a 118 “recommendations” so far.
Thank you, Professor, for the lead, and all of your work.
Professor Mearsheimer on the Spectator's Americano podcast of 6/3/24, clearly & succinctly explained why Israel’s escalation dominance is now an unfounded myth.
“…the Israelis were heavily dependent on the United States. …the Saudis, the French, the British, the Americans worked with the Israelis on April 14th to protect Israel against this Iranian missile offensive … that tells you that Israel could not do it itself; it needed help … this cuts against [Israel’s] escalation dominance.”
They could deal with it without US. Chances are that there would have been tens of thousands of deaths in Israel and hundreds of thousands elsewhere. US made the low casualty count possible although I would not claim to know what Israel's reaction would have been.
If Iran verifiably had nukes, Israel would lose their "escalation dominance" advantage. Iran could withstand multiple nuclear strikes, whereas a single warhead would render Israel uninhabitable..the very threat would muzzle the mad dog.
It’s important to keep in mind that for all intents and purposes Iran has already achieved M.A.D. They do not need the shock & awe of mushroom cloud. With just the amount of enriched uranium they have now they can explode it as a dirty bomb over Israel and turn it into an irradiated wasteland.
Iran and Russia keep repeating the same mistake over and over. You can't think of them as you'd do with normal people. You can't have escalation dominance with psychopaths. That's what Israel and their western partners are.
If you are in a locked room with someone in a suicide vest and willing to pull the cord, and no way to disarm them, you HAVE to assume you can talk to them rationally. When you have one option, that's the only option you can take. Even if it seems futile..
I think the point they're making is that Iran is making the mistake of thinking that Israel will not retaliate and they're probably right. So Iran has escalation dominance by raining hellfire on Tel Aviv and penetrating Israel's air defenses but let's not kid ourselves, Israel has already committed to retaliating and they will and we'll see what happens then.
I think the problem here is that Iran's attack is meant to deter the next attack. It's meant to tell Israel "look what we can do with a limited attack - if you hit us back, we'll do a lot more damage." If Israel doesn't listen, and they won't, and they hit back, then Iran is forced to retaliate again and it becomes a back and forth affair until everyone is turned to ash.
Israel is unhinged but Iran was forced to retaliate and they've been very restrained since this genocide started. I'm not naive, I don't think Iran is benevolent and I don't even think it's in their interest for Palestine to be free unless they manage to dismantle the Israeli state, but they've shown a lot of restraint and have been the voice of reason over the last year. Israel will walk us straight to hell.
The Israel Lobby is the big elephant in the room, which is rarely mentioned in these comments. And it’s the biggest reason why Israel gets away with genocide of Gazans and drags us into wars with Lebanon & Iran.
As professor Mearsheimer has been reminding us since his 2007 book: “The real reason why American politicians [like Biden] are so differential is the political power of the Israel Lobby.”
And in a recent interview Professor Mearsheimer said the Israel Lobby will become much stronger & more involved in our internal politics.
Israel dearly wants to drag the US into the quagmire and precipitate a global conflict. It has "recruited" the surviving youth in Gaza into future Hamas fighters, full of anger and resentment and the desire for revenge. It has transformed itself into a global pariah, in just a year. The US has hastened this with its continued military support, ensuring the Iran regime's continued hatred.
That captures the new reality. Awaiting Israel’s response with some dread. I doubt the Dems wants war before the election. That would serve Trump’s interests in terms of the election overwhelmingly.
Iran, apparently, believes straight talk is the only way forward: no more semantic games or accusations of ambiguity, the political version of the comedic, "who' se on third?". But can that penetrate Biden's, Netanyahu's thick, irrational skulls?
And to think, all we had to do was to listen to John and Stephen 15 years ago and all of this would have most likely been avoided.
YOU voted for 'warmonger' Biden.
It's on your hands USA
Whoa, Jenny, some of us are on your side!
If I were an english major I would have phrased it as…
“And to think, all we had to do was to listen to John and Stephen 15 years ago and all of this would’ve almost surely been avoided”.
I agree with Jenny in that we should’ve known that Joe Biden would continue to make bad situations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East much worse.
Our choices for president this time are the same as last, horrendous versus horrendously horrific.
I’m voting for Jill Stein. At least she’s trying to be on the right side of history.
And if I had to guess, I think John might be voting for her too. It’s my guess that he probably can’t bring himself to vote for a malignantly narcissistic facist and he isn’t willing to vote for a warmongering, spineless, cowardly, covert narcissistic puppet who has no gumption, no original thoughts, no vision, and no backbone to stand up for that which is right.
The situation we find ourselves in is pathetic and it’s almost surely going to get much, much worse.
As has been the case in almost all circumstances those who pay the biggest price are those in the active war zones but if we continue to be foolish our luck might run out and we might end up having to finally pay the price for our mistakes.
I'm joining you in voting for Jill Stein. She's made a couple of flubs recently but nothing that can't be overlooked for the principle of a vote for her. I mean, this should be the LP's year and they've descended into the usual squabbling.
Jill Stein? Go for it! Any vote for Harris or Trump would be as wasted.
Iran, like any other self-preserving nation, can and should be expected to retaliate. That's a given. But they have also learned that only way to deal with the lunatic regime in Tel Aviv is to ratchet up the ante. You move, then I move bigger.
Lunatic USA who keep sending 'arms' to Israel. You have blood on your hands USA
Barbarossa Biden has set the world on fire with his "strategy" of escalating every conflict.
Go away Biden and the western poodles will disintegrate. The WORST president in US history propped up by Zionists.
The USA IS ZIONISM.
He isn't in any decision making role, doubt he is even in charge of his lunch.
WHO is in charge? Zionists.
AIPAC!!!
Jill
It is, right now, the Deep State. This includes malign actors across the National Security complex: the Pentagon , the State Department, and the NSA. There is nothing the American people can do to curb their influence. The National Security State has been the bedrock of American politics since Kennedy was shot. The only thing that will stop it is the bankruptcy of the American government. That day is coming, but as always, it's too far off to count on it.
Iran is a formidable, modern country, with a very long history - in case anyone is unaware of this: but apparently, Biden has only a foggy notion on the subject. Some entities can only learn the hard way.
Depends on what you consider formidable. Israel could have and might yet still inflict far more harm although they don't have the manpower to invade.
Why does no one consider the possibility of Israel using nuclear weapons on Iran. They are far enough away that fallout would not be a major problem for them. After all they're backed by the only country ever to have used nuclear weapons.
If Israel nukes Iran, then Iran will go after the Israeli nuclear facilities. It’ll target just one nuclear facility with thousands of missiles so the Iron Dome can’t cope.
Iran would target either the Negev Nuclear Research Center or one of the other 4 (Tirosh, Eilabun, Yodefat or Rafael).
If this happens, then 1/4 of Israel would be radioactive.
It’s important to keep in mind that for all intents and purposes Iran has already achieved M.A.D. They do not need the shock & awe of mushroom cloud. With just the amount of enriched uranium they have now they can explode it as a dirty bomb over Israel and turn it into an irradiated a wasteland.
strategic deterrence, i.e. nuclear weapons, stop being effective once used up... Additionally Iran is far away and air defended well, maybe a launch wouldn't be decisive
One the nukes won't do enough damage, Iran would shoot back!
Two, nuking Iran may do what killing a few hundred thousand Gaza Palestinians did not!
It would be political suicide. Furthermore the Iranians possibly have nukes of their own and even if they don’t, could very likely annihilate Israel with purely conventional arms.
I’d like to note, for what it’s worth, that I posted this quote in a comment in the NYT: “Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: “Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful.”
Not only did they run the comment, but it’s gotten a 118 “recommendations” so far.
Thank you, Professor, for the lead, and all of your work.
Professor Mearsheimer on the Spectator's Americano podcast of 6/3/24, clearly & succinctly explained why Israel’s escalation dominance is now an unfounded myth.
“…the Israelis were heavily dependent on the United States. …the Saudis, the French, the British, the Americans worked with the Israelis on April 14th to protect Israel against this Iranian missile offensive … that tells you that Israel could not do it itself; it needed help … this cuts against [Israel’s] escalation dominance.”
They could deal with it without US. Chances are that there would have been tens of thousands of deaths in Israel and hundreds of thousands elsewhere. US made the low casualty count possible although I would not claim to know what Israel's reaction would have been.
If Iran verifiably had nukes, Israel would lose their "escalation dominance" advantage. Iran could withstand multiple nuclear strikes, whereas a single warhead would render Israel uninhabitable..the very threat would muzzle the mad dog.
It would render Israel and the Palestinian territories as uninhabitable including Jerusalem. I don't think the Iranians want to do *that*.
It’s important to keep in mind that for all intents and purposes Iran has already achieved M.A.D. They do not need the shock & awe of mushroom cloud. With just the amount of enriched uranium they have now they can explode it as a dirty bomb over Israel and turn it into an irradiated wasteland.
There is the possibility that Russia might have dropped off a few nukes to Iran when it made those deliveries a month or so ago.
There were a lot of flights and those are very big planes.
I believe the Ayatollah when he says that nuclear weapons are forbidden.
I do as well, I was throwing out the possibility they could have them. I believe they feel that the new weapons they have developed are sufficient.
Iran and Russia keep repeating the same mistake over and over. You can't think of them as you'd do with normal people. You can't have escalation dominance with psychopaths. That's what Israel and their western partners are.
If you are in a locked room with someone in a suicide vest and willing to pull the cord, and no way to disarm them, you HAVE to assume you can talk to them rationally. When you have one option, that's the only option you can take. Even if it seems futile..
That is terrifying but it is well put. Thank you for bringing that perspective on.
terrifying but very apt.
Iran and Russia keep repeating the same mistake?
Which 'mistake' would that be USA?
I think the point they're making is that Iran is making the mistake of thinking that Israel will not retaliate and they're probably right. So Iran has escalation dominance by raining hellfire on Tel Aviv and penetrating Israel's air defenses but let's not kid ourselves, Israel has already committed to retaliating and they will and we'll see what happens then.
I see US/Israeli "shock and awe" using domain dominance as a US/Israel mistake.
Their dominance works only on the corrupt and inept, who do not want to suffer some minor damage from terror strikes.
All US/Israel have is terror and would get no where against a dispersed dug in enemy.
I think the problem here is that Iran's attack is meant to deter the next attack. It's meant to tell Israel "look what we can do with a limited attack - if you hit us back, we'll do a lot more damage." If Israel doesn't listen, and they won't, and they hit back, then Iran is forced to retaliate again and it becomes a back and forth affair until everyone is turned to ash.
Israel is unhinged but Iran was forced to retaliate and they've been very restrained since this genocide started. I'm not naive, I don't think Iran is benevolent and I don't even think it's in their interest for Palestine to be free unless they manage to dismantle the Israeli state, but they've shown a lot of restraint and have been the voice of reason over the last year. Israel will walk us straight to hell.
The Israel Lobby is the big elephant in the room, which is rarely mentioned in these comments. And it’s the biggest reason why Israel gets away with genocide of Gazans and drags us into wars with Lebanon & Iran.
As professor Mearsheimer has been reminding us since his 2007 book: “The real reason why American politicians [like Biden] are so differential is the political power of the Israel Lobby.”
And in a recent interview Professor Mearsheimer said the Israel Lobby will become much stronger & more involved in our internal politics.
Israel dearly wants to drag the US into the quagmire and precipitate a global conflict. It has "recruited" the surviving youth in Gaza into future Hamas fighters, full of anger and resentment and the desire for revenge. It has transformed itself into a global pariah, in just a year. The US has hastened this with its continued military support, ensuring the Iran regime's continued hatred.
You really think Iran gives a rip about Sunni Palestinians?
Israel is making progress. First time I recall an Iranian official using "Israel" rather than "Zionest entity."
LOL!
Looks like it's going to be a cold winter but the global warming will continue.
That captures the new reality. Awaiting Israel’s response with some dread. I doubt the Dems wants war before the election. That would serve Trump’s interests in terms of the election overwhelmingly.
Iran, apparently, believes straight talk is the only way forward: no more semantic games or accusations of ambiguity, the political version of the comedic, "who' se on third?". But can that penetrate Biden's, Netanyahu's thick, irrational skulls?