By: Anonymous
The growing hostility towards Iran by Israel and the United States seems to be drawing these three countries closer to war. An aggressive U.S. and Israeli stance, an eager-for-war U.S. media and a complacent public are coming together for the perfect storm of unnecessary war. Recent reports in the media paint Israel as the victim of Iranian aggression, though it is the combination of crushing sanctions by the U.S., daily posturing and threats by the U.S. and Israel, the nearly complete encircling of Iran by the U.S. military (Afghanistan and Iraq), the serial murder of Iranian scientists, cyber attacks on government facilities and dissident groups actively calling for the overthrow of the government (supported by the U.S. and Israel, even though they are designated as terrorist organizations). Yet somehow, this “Iranian menace” is so fierce that the world should be shaking in its boots. Imagine if Iran had thousands of troops stationed in Mexico and Canada. How would the U.S. react?
Every day, the U.S. media dutifully and reliably spit out propaganda inching us closer to war. All of this is reminiscent of the Iraqi invasion in 2003. What’s remarkable is that the articles coming out today about alleged Iranian activities mirror almost perfectly what was said about Iraq in 2003. The U.S. saw that the war was fought on false pretenses, and because of speculation and an unhealthy desire for war, millions of Iraqis are homeless and displaced, and over 100,000 civilians are dead because of our war.
Take, for example, the recent statement from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. “[That plot]…shows that some Iranian officials…have changed their calculus and are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States in response to real or perceived U.S. actions that threaten the regime.”
This was in testimony to a senate committee. Wait a second! We should be surprised that a country would dare fight back if the U.S. attacked them? This is the kind of mindless nonsense coming out of our “national security advisers,” whoever they are.
What’s interesting is the lack of real information the U.S. public has to make a decision about war. Constant bombardment by propaganda (you can’t really call it news) in the U.S. media has made the public almost eager for war, even though the public has realized Iraq was a mistake. It is amazing to watch the U.S. regret its involvement in one war and realize it is a mistake, then turn around and support another war as if it learned absolutely nothing about its previous mistake. Our collective amnesia is almost pathological in its scope.
War with Iran is a mistake. It is a nuclear-armed Israel that does not desire a shift in the Mid-East power structure. The U.S. should not push for war and should continue with diplomacy and sanctions if necessary to prevent war.