We're Screwed
On 26 June 2024, I spoke with Danny Davis on his “Deep Dive” podcast about America[‘s prospects for shutting down the Ukraine war and the Gaza war, as well as preventing further escalation in both conflicts. I argued that the Biden administration is desperate to end the war in Gaza and prevent Israel from going to war with Hezbollah. But it can’t put meaningful pressure on Israel to achieve those goals, because of the power of the Israel lobby in the United States. Regarding Ukraine, I argued that the various steps the Biden administration has recently taken to help stabilize the situation on the front lines are likely to prolong the war and increase the chances of escalation. Thus, my bottom line: we’re screwed.
One other reason we’re screwed is that these interviews aren’t even tangentially mentioned in the corporate press. The level of outright ignorance among the public is both staggering and designed. Sixty years ago Tom Paxton wrote a song about The Daily News: “Seven little pennies in the newsboy’s hand, And you ride right along to never, never, land”. Today he could write that line about the NYTimes. I’m grateful for Substack, and I’m grateful for Professor Mearsheimer.
Hard to measure the degree of political desperation Biden feels, but I believe we can rely on the truth of the notion that desperate people take inordinate risks that would not usually take. This has been predictable ticking strategic time bomb of the Ukraine 🇺🇦 War since it began.