“It may be true that you can’t fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country.” Will Durant
Never have I seen a political leader pander so shamelessly to an aggressor, like Obama to Iran, since reading the history books talk about Neville Chamberlain.
Diplomacy almost always favors the aggressor, the morally weak, but rarely the strong and righteous, since it buys time and delays action. And diplomacy without consequences is madness. In times past the United States sat at the negotiating table with a simple message to the folks on the opposite side … “sign here!” Easy to do when you are willing to win, drive a hard bargain, and hold most of the cards. That’s the goal isn’t it?
Yet the US and the West have squandered our advantage in the current comedy of errors otherwise referred to as the Obama – Kerry diplomatic follies being held in Switzerland. The US has allowed Iran to call the shots when their behaviors commend them to sit in the corner while Western allies ought to be dictating terms.
The US should be imposing more sanctions, bringing Iran to its knees, and forcing them to the negotiating table as a broken, bloodied, defeated enterprise, begging for a deal, willing to abandon their nukes, their missiles, their proxy attacks on Israel, and even their carpets in exchange for economic assistance. Instead we allow them to continue waging proxy war throughout the Middle East, continue with their military research, oh and have centrifuges – enough to produce a weapon, but not enough to support an energy producing reactor. Think about it – the West has expended millions of dollars, and hundreds of hours to negotiate Iran away from nuclear weapons by allowing them the means to produce nuclear weapons material. Only in Obamaland does this make sense! And as I’ve written in prior articles for FSM, including a three part series in 2009 revealing the advances Iran had already made in their weapons program, some unacknowledged by the US, but later supported by reports from think tanks.
Sometimes negotiations are conducted by morons unable to obtain an equitable agreement. I wish Obama was in that category. It would be more morally acceptable than the recognition he willingly is entering a bad deal for personal gain under the guise of world peace, when there is no chance on earth this deal will make the world more peaceful or safe.
In every negotiation there are winners and losers. Obama only cares about Obama, so the end game of this entire theatre of the absurd is his legacy, his Nixon to China moment. And if Obama has to sacrifice my safety and yours, our allies, our future at the hands of lawless people who attacked a sovereign embassy in 1979 (ours) and sponsor bloodshed in the Middle East, to have his magic moment, he will do so.
One has to ask why are we rushing into this as if the hounds of Hades are chasing Obama and Kerry? That’s an easy one – get the chess pieces in place before Congress has the momentum to interfere, and a new President, likely a Republican, can derail it. Obama needs his moment. He also has to position himself for world order adulation and do a bit more tinkering with the balance of power in the Middle East. Trump card – he needs to actually have his Camp David moment. It is not enough for Obama to parade around a deal with Iran. He must allow a problem to occur, in order to save the day. Perhaps he read the fine print on his Peace Prize – at some point you actually have to do something that leads to peace. Good luck with that Barry.
Which means, drum roll please…. the number one ally being tossed under the bus will be Israel! No surprise there. But here’s where I think things could play out – badly, especially if the US stays on the sidelines throughout the adventure, which means Israel stands alone, unless Australia, and some of the moderate, Sunni nations lend a hand, but that may be too little, too late.
Consider the changing tide just in the last year. On college campuses wearing a Star of David is tantamount to wearing a scarlet letter. Throughout Europe places of commerce for Jews are attacked. Israel repeatedly get’s denounced on human rights issues in the UN and similarly anarchic and ineffective political bodies, and by nations that routinely machete citizens, stone or do genital mutilation of women, and train children to be killers. In contemporary times I cannot think of a more open animus being directed against Jews. This is especially true among liberals – you know, those tireless protectors of diversity and tolerance, unless of course you are a Jew or Christian.
Israel is Obama’s Sudetenland. The world is growing more anti Jew by the day. Israel is surrounded by increasingly well armed aggressors. And like Czechoslovakia during the 1930’s (also a created nation after a world war, and among the most successful national enterprises in the era), Israel has an adversary that is becoming a growing global power (Iran), requiring concessions against the backdrop of a weak global leader (Obama) all too willing to appease, much as Neville Chamberlain did when he sold out the Czechs to the Nazis. And who will the world blame when Israel is gone? What great inventions will not occur without their mindshare?
Obama is no friend to Israel, or many of our Middle East allies (Bahrain, Morocco, the Emirates, Jordan, Oman) any more than the DNC is a friend to “J Street.”
Let’s think the recent negotiations through.
Iran is a bad actor. They hurt people – their own, and those who stand against or worship differently from them. Iran has a track record of bloodshed. They also have ample natural resources. So tell me again why they need nuclear power? And if they did, couldn’t we just sell them prepackaged ones like the Hyperion concept or offer to build them some in turn key fashion, while we control the nuclear materials? Does it not strike you as odd we in the West are actually negotiating for them to have more money (lift sanctions in spite of bad behavior), and hot rocks that go boom? Are we nuts? Is Obama that desperate to have a foreign policy moment in lieu of a foreign policy success? And who are the real winners in the deal? Who are the real losers?
Let me cut to the chase. I am convinced Obama is setting Israel up to stand alone. I am not suggesting he is in collusion with Iran to destroy Israel, but Obama is isolating Israel, and putting them into the solitary position of doing the hard job the US won’t do under our current POTUS. And in so doing, setting the stage for Israel to be attacked, which allows Obama the role of peace maker (well heck he got the Nobel in spite of the fact that there hasn’t been any peace he can claim credit for that actually didn’t end up in a conflagration of blood and fire a short time after the press release).
Obama knows Israel will not allow Iran to have functional, deliverable thermonuclear weapons, and is prepared to utilize the same methods (the IAF) used to curtail the Iraq (1981) and Syrian (2007) programs. If the US had a real president, one would think all this was misdirection and in the end, we would fly shoulder to shoulder with Israel. But we don’t have a real president, we only have Obama. And he hates the military (welfare recipients can earn more than our enlisted) and hates Israel. So while Israel earned quiet applause from the Gulf States, and many Western nations when they obliterated Iraqi and Syrian nuclear programs, unfortunately times have changed. With much of the West wanting to invest in and profit by Iran, and the growing anti-Semitism emerging worldwide, if Israel goes solo against the nuclear program in Iran, it may face the wrath of a much more organized radical (Sunni or Shia) and Shiite Islamic response than was possible ten let alone 30 years ago, without the US riding to the rescue or providing air or political cover. And therein rests the problem.
I was in Bahrain during the so called Arab Spring. Iran was there, too. I know. I was face to face with some of the agent provocateurs in the IRGC who were stirring up trouble. As I wrote about for FSM, Iran and Saudi Arabia are in a power tug of war – Bahrain is but one flag in the middle of the rope. Tehran is by no means finished fomenting trouble with the Gulf States which are ruled by Sunnis, but have large Shia populations. The measure of Iran’s resolve cannot be underestimated. Interestingly of all the revolutions that were occurring during the Arab Spring and before it, in spite of Obama yammering about supporting democratic uprisings, he abandoned Iranians fighting for freedoms and trying to overthrow the totalitarian regime in Tehran while supporting revolutions in our puppets or allies, thus undermining our foreign policy in what became obvious anti-West, pro Moslem brotherhood or pro Iran plays. Yemen is the latest policy failure for Obama. That was predicted when I was heading to the Arab Spring. By not helping the folks trying to overthrow a repressive regime in Iran, many people died; they died believing Obama’s rhetoric. I wonder how much blood has been shed on Obama’s watch from Iraq and the Middle East to the Mexican border? There will be more. Think Israel.
Iran is not to be trifled with. I’ve been within shooting range of Hezbollah missile launching pads as I waived to IRGC folks helping convert homes into weapons depots in Southern Lebanon – just a hundred yards from Israelis.
And I’ve seen, and touched, the results of Iranian enterprise in Gaza – the rockets that are daily launched against Israeli children with near total impunity and total lack of concern by the West as Jews remain under a form of missile era siege.
Israel is vulnerable – now more than ever, regardless of the prodigious technological advances and amazing medical, science, engineering breakthroughs that occur near weekly.
While Egypt is somewhat closer in alignment to Israel in these last few months, in repudiation of Obama’s failed policies and allowance of ISIS to run rampant, as well as warmer ties between Jordan and Tel Aviv have emerged, which under the Top Gun King will do what it can without igniting its own crazy group of Palestinian Jihadists, the fact remains Israel has a fifth column within her nation, and is surrounded by hostiles from Gaza, the West Bank, Syria and Lebanon – all supported, armed, financed, trained, and protected by Iran!
But we all must ask….Mr. Obama what part of Iran has supported folks who killed American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, murdered innocent children in Israel, and calls for the destruction of the US, don’t you get?
Let me digress a moment. Last summer the attack of Southern Israel from Hamas was tepid compared to the capacity they now enjoy in Gaza – thousands of missiles and rockets capable of hitting a large area in Israel. Why prick when you can slice? Hamas was capable of inflicting far more damage to Israel, but held off. Why? Because Iran which controls and arms Hamas, wanted to see what Israel could do in action against Hamas’ attack, so it can plan for the next, broader, and unified attack that involves Hezbollah in the North, Syria in the Northeast, and possibly the Iranians from the West. Like any good strategists playing a long game, Iran and other players wanted to see just how good Iron Dome worked in practice. Iran noticed the US was on the sidelines, except for some material support.
Why Hezbollah didn’t join in when clearly both Hamas and Hezbollah are supported by the IRGC from Iran?
Simple! Iran is closely aligned with Hezbollah which was told to “cool it” so Tehran could appear reasonable when approaching the negotiating table with Obama. In politics optics matter. Image is everything.
Also, it is too early for check mate. Iran and her allies, along with the her global apologists and friendly terror groups need Israel to stand more isolated, before their next attack. They need Israel alone as the war monger, and pariah, with the media and legions of protestors retelling the big lie that the Jews are the cause of all the strife in the Middle East. Thus when an attack against the Jews comes, the world will think of it as a fair and valid response, not an unprovoked attack against a tiny nation.
But I can all but guarantee that Hezbollah will NOT be on the sidelines when Israel attacks Iran.
So if Netanyahu gives the order to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran will take the handcuffs off its proxies surrounding Israel and the blood bath will begin. Iran may even engage directly in the response. And don’t be surprised if ISIS and Al Qaeda join in the attack, as well as the many franchises of that terror network. When it comes to fighting the US or Israel, Sunni and Shia can collaborate, even if it is at arms length.
And who will come to the rescue when an attack occurs and Israel is on a war footing, offering a solution? You guessed it! Only I don’t think Obama thought this up. We’ll talk about who runs him in another article.
Here’s how it plays out. After a few weeks of heavy fighting and lots of bloodshed, Iron Dome nearly depleted and Obama stalling on replenishing Israel’s missile defense, Obama will ask Israel to go back to the 1967 borders in exchange for a cease fire from Lebanon, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. Obama get’s his Camp David moment.
If that happens, with less defensive real estate as a barrier, it is only a matter of time until Israel is infiltrated and destabilized. Her adversaries are much more organized, armed, motivated, and protected than they were in the 1940’s or 1960’s.
Do I hope I am wrong? Absolutely! But Israel is more vulnerable now than ever before. And when you look at all the steps Obama has taken to mollycoddle Iran, and her proxies, often at the expense of Israel, well you decide. Do I think Obama is intentionally trying to destroy Israel? No! But I think he is trying to isolate Israel so their policies don’t interfere with Obama’s. I think he wants to sideline them, and ultimately appease the Arab world by shrinking Israel’s influence if not outright size.
What can we do about it?
Since money elects Congressmen more than just voters, let me ask “J Street” a simple question. Did you get your money’s worth from Obama by investing in the DNC?
It boggles the mind as a life member of Hadassah why Jews persist in being rabid supporters of Democrat candidates, when clearly those candidates, with few exceptions, will not rise up and stand with Israel. Last month numerous members of Congress flagrantly disrespected Israel when they failed to attend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech. It was rude, unnecessary, and very telling. Apparently massaging Obama’s ego is more important than standing on moral principle. But then let’s be clear, liberals are not pro Israel, with few exceptions. Any doubt – just check who are the folks who go to Israel, send money to Jewish causes, invite Netanyahu to plead his case to the American public, and vote for continued military/financial support for the state of Israel? I hope “J Street” is paying attention!
We can support Israel, and in the process protect our own national security interests here are a few ideas:
- Get politically active. The democrats have taken for granted that Jews will mindlessly and blindly support the DNC and their candidates, policies and behaviors. It is time to give the DNC a wakeup call.
- If you are an alum of a university that is increasingly anti semitic – take the power of your purse and connections, and push back against such dark behaviors polluting your institutions. Campuses are places for open discourse, not silencing a valid voice
- Engage local ecumenical enterprises to raise awareness
- Join Stand with Israel or similar enterprises – faith based or other, and fight back.
- Contact the White House – deluge 1600 with emails, letters, calls, letters to the editor. Homeland Security, national defense are all issues we have ownership in
- Engage your Congressional representatives – if they have an anti Israel record, speak up, speak out, as well as support their opponents. If they are pro Israel and pro strong US national defense, support them and be vocal why you are in their corner.
- There is strength in numbers – join with folks who are supporting the causes that matter, whether on campus, through the media, in the political arena, or in industry
- Oppose the boycott Israel folks – in the press, with your own company
Conclusion
“All warfare is based on deception”
Sun Tzu
James Bond in Casino Royale pointed out that to win at poker you play the man opposite you, not just the cards. Iran outplayed us for one simple reason – the man opposite them was easy to read. He wants a win – Pyrrhic victory though it may be. Obama needs his Nixon to China moment, and be damned any one or any enterprise that gets in his way. Even if it imperils the US or our closest allies, like Israel or even Saudi Arabia.
We can still do something about it – as individuals, as members of voting blocks or business, community, faith or advocacy enterprise. The closest contact to the power of Washington is through Congress – the People’s House, although one has to wonder if there is enough courage left in that august but divided enterprise.
As vocal patriots we can make a case for stronger sanctions, delaying a bad deal, holding Iran accountable, and supporting Israel. As our most trusted eyes and ears in the Middle East, now more than ever we need to stay close to the only democracy in the region.
To fail in our responsibilities as citizens, we place our nation, and Israel, perhaps even the world at risk in the face of an aggressor nation with a long history of shedding Jewish, Christian, American, Allied and Moslem blood.
Stay tuned – and let’s hope Obama does not become Iran’s means to Israel’s end. But hope isn’t astrategy.
Dr. Robin McFee, MPH, FACPM, FAACT, is medical director of Threat Science – and nationally recognized expert in WMD preparedness, who consults with government agencies, corporations and the media. Dr. McFee is the former director and cofounder of the Center for Bioterrorism Preparedness (CB PREP) and bioweapons – WMD adviser to the Domestic Security Task Force, numerous law enforcement and corporate entities after 911, as well as pandemic advisor to federal, state and local agencies, and corporations during the anthrax events, SARS, Avian and swine flu epidemics. Dr. McFee is the former chair of the Global Terrorism Council of ASIS International, and is a member of the US Counterterrorism Advisory Team. She has delivered over 500 invited lectures since 9-11, created graduate level courses on WMD preparedness for several universities, authored more than 100 articles on terrorism, health care and preparedness, and coauthored two books: Toxico-Terrorism by McGraw Hill and The Handbook of Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Agents, published by Informa/CRC Press.
The third verse of my Trayvon Martin Lied refers to Obama and is in keeping with this article
Wow. Great article