Trump and King Cyrus
Sometimes bad people do things that work out to be good.
Peace talks may begin between Iran, Israel, and the U.S.
I said may.
Let's review the bidding.
1. Israel bombed Iran. Iran bombed Israel. War.
2. The USA was helping Israel with weapons and intelligence, but was theoretically simply a supporter, not a belligerent.
3. The USA threatened Iran and gave it a deadline to negotiate an end to their nuclear program. The deadline passed.
4. President Trump authorized a massive bombardment of three nuclear material processing sites, which took place this weekend Note that these were not civilian targets, notwithstanding Trump's warning to Tehran residents to abandon the city. Trump gave lots of warning that he was considering bombing the sites the U.S. bombed.
5. Iran was furious, of course. They said they needed to retaliate. It was a matter of national pride. Iran told the U.S. that they would retaliate by bombing U.S. military sites in the region. They gave notice. American personnel left. They bombed and noted that they used only as many bombs as the U.S. used.
In the manner of body-language diplomacy, this was a signal that Iran did not want escalation. This is a minuet: formal, structured communication. They made a face-saving, pre-announced, proportional attack designed not to injure American lives. No Americans died.
6. Trump went on Truth Social to announce a tremendous success:
Maybe things will work out. I am inured to bad news and disappointment, but I am not committed to being unhappy. Quite the opposite. I welcome pleasant surprises. All wars eventually end, and maybe this is the beginning of the end. We have been fighting Iran for almost 50 years.
Democrats who perceive Trump as a dangerous, disgusting, racist, dishonest, felonious, Constitution-destroying autocrat will find it hard to acknowledge that Trump could possibly do something useful for the world. It would seem especially unlikely that a person so belligerent and bullying could possibly be an agent of peace. I share that opinion of Trump, but I am open to the idea that Trump could be a peacemaker. I have read the history. Theodore Roosevelt -- a president who reveled in war-making and empire -- helped negotiate an end to the Russo-Japanese War in 1906 and won a Nobel Peace Prize for doing so.
Trump's character flaws are a tool. He is a narcissist who craves glory and adoration. Barack Obama received a Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has not. Trump has been open about wanting the prize. Trump would sacrifice other interests and would endure some criticism from Israel if leads toward a peace settlement in the region. It would be an achievement. He would be recognized as the hero he considers himself to be.
Some Trump-supporting Christians acknowledge that Trump represents the opposite of Christian virtues and behaviors. They support him anyway. They cite the Persian King Cyrus, who ruled the area of modern Iran, as a Godless man who nevertheless was anointed by God to serve His purposes. They ignore Trump's dishonest grift, his adultery, his bearing false witness, his selfishness, belligerence, vanity, cruelty, and hostility to the migrant. But he supports Christian triumph. He holds up the Bible in the public square. That is what counts.
Democrats need to be open to good news. If this works out, Democrats may need to exercise the same mental gymnastics that Trump-supporting Christians do. Democratxs may need to acknowledge he did something good. It could happen. Trump is a profound danger to our republic, but it is not impossible that his unpredictable and bellicose foreign policy bullies everyone toward a peace settlement. Very bad people, in the midst of doing very bad things, can take actions that have good results. Germany has good freeways.
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
This may be the turning point we all hope it is. But it will be awhile before we know how enduring this cease fire is. If Iran and its proxies ramp up terror attacks and continue to do what’s necessary to make nukes, I would consider it a temporary reprieve. What is aggravating to me is Trump’s willingness to intervene militarily for Israel while cruelly pulling back military support for Ukraine. Russia is allied with Iran and I wouldn’t put it past Putin to give Iran a nuclear weapon. Why is Trump so blind to this?
Wars are easy to start and hard to end. As the Great Powers discovered in 1914, once you mobilize millions of men there really isn’t an OFF switch. I don’t believe I am a pessimist when I off er that behind the scenes, a myriad of what we call “terrorist” actions are being planned and implemented. Many of these probably aren’t even by Iranians. By throwing his “hat into the ring” our grandstanding President has made international (nay, any) travel dangerous for all of us.