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[SIZE=7] A US war with Iran looms. Don’t for one second think that it is justified [/SIZE]
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Owen Jones
Trump’s allies will try to paint Iran as a threat, as they did with Iraq. We must not fall into step with their prefab bloodlust
Wed 19 Jun 2019 13.31 BST Last modified on Wed 19 Jun 2019 13.33

We know how the story goes. The decision for war is made long in advance. That becomes the end point, and the evidence must be marshalled to achieve that goal. A long-lasting regime suddenly becomes an imminent threat. Exiles with minimal connections to their country of origin, but with fat bank balances, extensive links with rightwing thinktanks, multinational companies and western security services are wheeled out to solemnly declare that war must be waged on their homeland. A litany of never-ending human rights abuses is endlessly detailed: the sort ignored by our elites if they are committed by our allies, like the Saudi dictatorship, which has plunged Yemen into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Critics of war are demonised as stooges or useful idiots of an enemy that imperils national security and menaces its own people, and as haters of their own country.

While our Tory overlords committing to another military escapade is predictable, Trump’s ‘coalition’ will extend further

It happened in Iraq, it happened in Libya, too: both countries were swiftly drowned in blood and chaos. In a just world, one might expect the cheerleaders of these catastrophes – which ended in the slaughter of hundreds of thousands, the maiming and traumatising of countless others, created millions of refugees and internally displaced persons, and turned both nations into playgrounds for violent extremists – to be driven from public life in disgrace. Instead they retain their influence – within the US administration (most strikingly in the form of John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser), within the leading echelons of the Conservative party, and within the commentariat. And, without shame but with much bloodlust, they set about building the case for a new war with Iran.

After Jeremy Corbyn suggested that the Trump administration’s pronouncement of Iranian guilt over the tanker attacks needed to be scrutinised, and that “Britain should act to ease tensions in the Gulf,” he faced a barrage of denunciations. You see, you are more likely to be regarded as a respectable politician if you casually call for wars that will incinerate sleeping infants and annihilate wedding parties than if you call for de-escalation and peace. Never mind that EU foreign ministers echoed Corbyn’s position, demanding an independent UN investigation and more evidence. Corbyn was “pathetic and predictable”, pronounced flailing Conservative leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt, asking why Corbyn could “never bring himself to back British allies, British intelligence or British interests.” This is somewhat curious given the Labour leader had the same line as Britain’s European allies, and only the delusional or the wicked could imagine a new Middle Eastern conflagration amounts to “backing British interests”.

It is the comments of fellow flailing Tory leadership candidate Michael Gove that are particularly instructive: Corbyn’s “comments on Iran show once again he is not fit to be trusted with our national security”. Here is a man who called for the invasion of Iraq two days after 9/11 and who remains gruesomely supportive of it. According to Tory ex-chancellor Ken Clarke, with Gove as prime minister “we’d go to war with at least three countries at once”.

This lust for war should frighten us because, while the likes of Gove will not become prime minister, the consensus among the Tory elite is clear. For Boris Johnson – already ordained by the US president as his favoured candidate – “taking back control” means becoming the lapdog of Donald Trump’s US. If indeed the US gets its war – back in 2012, Trump himself suggested that Barack Obama might “play the Iran card in order to start a war in order to get elected”, so it is a strategy he is familiar with – then do we really think our Trumpified government won’t commit British support?

But while our Tory overlords committing to another disastrous military escapade is predictable, Trump’s “coalition of the willing” will surely extend further. There was a certain type of self-described “centrist”, or “moderate”, or “liberal”, or however they choose to describe themselves, who would denounce Trump as an authoritarian menace to humanity, as a would-be fascist dictator, but applaud him as soon as he started firing missiles. That’s how they responded when he directed US firepower at Syria; surely they will do the same if missiles rain down on Iran.

Tony Blair is a bellwether here: rehabilitated among some over Brexit, this Saudi-funded warmonger has repeatedly demanded regime change in Iran, including through direct military action. Earlier this year, his institute attacked western governments for being too complacent over the Iranian threat.

And here is the danger. If Trump – after ripping up the nuclear deal – gets the war his advisers crave, there will be influential so-called “moderates” who will say yes, the US president is a very real danger, yes he’s a menace to democracy and to global peace, and yes he’s really terribly vulgar, but I’m sorry we must back him, because Iran is the imminent menace we once claimed Iraq to be. They do not lack in either connections or influence, and they will use both to attempt to marginalise opponents of the latest disastrous act of US-led aggression. We know how this film ends – we’ve watched it before – and a movement to stop a repeat of Iraq and Libya needs to get its act together now.

Iran underlines the absurdity of the given pretexts for these wars. If threats to national security, or human rights abuses, were genuinely the basis for military intervention, we would have fired missiles at Saudi Arabia long ago: whether it be for exporting international terrorism, or for dropping bombs on buses full of Yemeni children en route from picnics. But it is clear where we’re heading. War looms – that’s barely sunk into the consciousness of the wider public – and if the cheerleaders of the Iraqi and Libyan wars get their own way, a worse calamity than either could beckon.

• Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist

Arms tenders Ni tamu zaidi

The US economy is oiled by the blood of innocent human beings. Lazima conflict itafutwe.

USA got Saudi Arabia to commit to buy $500 billion worth of USA arms over the next 10 years. That amount represents the full amount USA defence industry spent to develop their weapons. Its a full refund for their research and development costs. Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran said house of said had sold its soul and oil futures to usa. Saudi demands was simple, they will form its own middle east “NATO” with UAE nations except Qatar. The usa will give them complete free hand to do as they wish in M.E as long as they don’t touch Israel. The usa was forced to commit to invade Iran as they are the main rival in M.E. Iran controls Iraq despite usa puppet government there. It led the ground offensive to defeat ISIS in Syria and pull Damascus into their fold. They control south Yemen as well. That’s why the USA is pushing for war in Iran. Its powerful defense industry demands it.

The usa painted USSR as the evil of the world with global ambitions to rule the world by force. Since the end of the cold war the usa has dropped the pretence and evolved into that True evil of the world. Starting wars under false evidence to advance its foreign policy of resources and state capture. Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, Venezuela and now Iran. If its not by war its by currency warfare where a nations currency is blocked from international banking making it lose almost complete value and inflation hits 1 million %. However the USA didn’t bank on two things. Reemergence of Russia and economic power of China. Secondly the internet where the usa doesn’t control information and individual world citizens can each amplifiers the objections to create a Tsunami. Its not the 90’s where cnn would brainwash people to believe their false narrative. Nobody in the west believes in the fake attacks conducted by Saudi to implicate Iran. The world is wiser. The usa in itself will be the main reason they lose their sole military global power. Their misadventures globally is driving them south.

I am still baffled by the propensity of ktalkers to see the US as evil yet they do what any other hegemonic states have done. Just look at world history from the roman empire to genghis khan to napoleon bonaparte to the zulu empire to adolf hitler to the soviet union (and now russia) to the japanese empire to china to the usa. All these states behave/behaved the same. So why is the usa being singled out?

Is it because that they just happen to be the hedgemon of our times?

Very interesting phenomenon we have hapa ktalk…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s65154ZJP0c

this will be one war that will involve many nations in a very odd way. however despite trump’s volatility, i somewhat do not think that he will pull this off. he’s all about scratching is boils rather than treating them.

Trump sent Abe to try and convince the Ayatollah to resume talks with the US. That way Trump would get the much needed credit like he did with the fatman in Korea. Ayatollah akashow Abe aende amwambie yeye apantambua meffi.

this is not fucking 45B.C,there was no information going round during bay of pigs/vietnam invasion thats why people still believe that US went to war(read,invasion),they’ve never been at war.Fast forward,9/11,in as much as it was thought to be an inside job,still people thought america was being attacked,people relied on TV news.Now information is available in many forms and we clearly see what’s happening and it ain’t right.Fuck US

That put down must have hurt trump.

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Bro, we are talking about the last 2000 years of earths history. Do you really think we have changed that much as human beings?

Russia did not invade Georgia in 45BC… it was 10 years back. France did not subjugate African nations in 45 BC (infact france didnt even exists back then). Russia began subjugating Ukraine in recent times and in military terms around 2014. The examples are numerous my fren.

Also, there have been other ages before the information age like the Bronze age, the Iron Age, the Industrial age and now the information age. Throughout all these ages, human empires have functioned the same way… they have simply changed the way the operate in the different ages.

It’s surprising that they are not now interested in Venezuela after much publicity of going to war with them

Are we living in those Eras?

Waliogopa. Russia sent black op’s teams to beef up Venezuela response to any attacks. Electronic, insurgency etc. That left airstrikes by smart bombs as the only option they could use. However who in 2019 will like seeing usa bombing a south American state? Then with the Russians and Venezuela troops ready for attacks it meant the casualties would be high if they send the 5000 usa troops from Colombia into Venezuela. Those helicopters were eagerly awaited to be shot down live on global media. So they tried other things to force changes within. They hacked power grid to switch off power for the whole country. Still no riots. They paid a battalion of 500 low ranking troops to initiate a coup. A lot of bravado from bolton on pentagon live on media with another live broadcast from their puppet leader there. The world watched a coup in one street that quickly ended the moment the Army showed up. Let just say they have ran out of options there. They now hope for a economic collapse within.

Nope. We are living in an era where Russia subjugates Ukraine and takes over the Crimea .

We are living in an era where where Russia invades Georgia.

We are living in an era where China wants to subjugate taiwan against their will and subjugates Tibet…

We are living in an era where France subjugates African nations…

Great summary Ndugu Mkuki!

I am trying to get around the idea that you therefore justify continued US meddling with the above arguments.

What the US or China or Russia does is not justifiable, But it is a reality that in any age, a hegemon will pretty much run roughshod over other nations. Putin himself has said that the world is an ugly place and russia will do what it takes to be among the Great Powers.

The US will continue to meddle

China will continue to meddle

Russia will continue to meddle.

France will continue to meddle.

Rwanda and Uganda will continue to meddle in the DRC.

What I find odd is that ktalkers tend to paint the US as the greatest evil on earth not realizing that hedgemons have generally played by the same rule book in the past and in the present.

what they do is not justifiable, but an ugly reality of any nation’s existence

As long as you’re naming conflicts from this Era and understanding the hidden hand the US plays in them.

Those very Countries invaded by Russia are USA stooges trying working with Uncle Sam to undermine Russia’s Sovereignty.