I am having great difficulty focusing on the world when trump is walking free and has terrible plans for this country. I understand what’s going on else where it’s just too much to take in sometimes.
I agree, Lisa. A Trump win in 2024 will have unthinkable consequences to the US and to the world order. A relatively level-headed approach to foreign policy from the US is critical. Though not nearly without blemishes, the US still represents a higher order of conscience and wields enough power to at least help right any unevenness in the world when they wish. With Trump, that will die, or at least be comatose for too long, and damaged for much, much longer.
Yes we are far from perfect as a country but what you say is true. I don’t know how to get through the upcoming year. I fear for all of us and truly hate him and what he is being allowed to do.
I feel worried also. It’s bad enough that Fascism and Nazism are spreading once again, but I never thought it would happen in the U.S. What concerns me the most is that many Americans and the Republican Party have embraced this trend, which I believe has been greatly influenced by Trump and our media. I just don’t understand why people with authority and power can interfere in our election process, spread hateful and untruthful messages, encourage people to harm others, try to destroy our democracy, and not have any consequences. I find it most concerning that with all the mass shootings that we have had the Republicans refuse to ban assault weapons. First, they divide us with hateful messages and encourage people to harm others that don’t agree with them. Then they ban abortions, change election rules, ban books, refuse to acknowledge Biden as our President, and try to destroy our public school system. It’s like they want to start a civil war and they want people armed and ready. They have also infiltrated our institutions with people who follow the Party line no matter how harmful it may be. It’s also quite alarming the number of Americans who are loyal to Trump no matter what he has done. Just like he said, he could shoot someone on the street and people would still vote for him. Why would anyone find that appealing in a leader? Something very sinister is going on. I wonder who is behind this all. Americans must vote straight Democrat tickets in record numbers if we are going to be able to save our democracy and turn this situation around.
Me too. I have a constant ache in the pit of my stomach! Occasionally, when I think he might actually win, I start scouring the Canadian real estate pages! Never did I expect trump would ever occupy the WH the first time. When he did, my eldest son said their generation will live the rest of their lives with the mess he creates. I suggested to all my kids they should consider leaving the country . . . better to be too early vs. too late. None did and now if trump were to occupy the WH it really would be too late. It is frightening and we really must invoke the rule of law a bit more quickly!
I am so afraid as well and have been thinking the same although where would I go? The father of my daughter in law lives in Germany and I hope my son and family could go there.
Still the fact that so many of us are thinking this way could have been avoided if Trump had been convicted by the Senate when they had the chance.
I agree completely. Unfortunately, some of us are too old to be accepted into another country so have no option but to stay and watch things crumble if he returns to the White House.
I am holding true to faith in the legal system. Jack Smaith is one of those quiet warriors Dan is talking about.
Justice will come for drumpf, even if it’s in the form of a stroke. We don’t actually see much of him, although his rabid cult do. As the pressure from his legal problems crush him, his insanity will become irrefutable.
It’s not the drumpf I fear, but the Koch’s and the Leonard Leo’s.
I hope to heaven you are right about drumpf. His culture is also dangerous and that is why we must all keep on voting and in supporting what is right for all people, not just for the wealthy. I don't want my grandchildren and great grandchildren to grow up in an authoritarian world.
I hope so too. When I get the pervasive dread, what another reader calls “thin -ice anxiety”, I merely hope for a livable world.
I think the hateful drumpf cultists are a loud minority. I talk to people, when I’m stuck somewhere. Recently getting an oil change I brought up the issue of the debt. The large tattooed Hispanic guy replied I was stupid and probably didn’t know how to protect my family. He also claimed he was a financial manager.
After an exchange, he left with his sad teenage looking girlfriend? Stepdaughter? In tow.
The man who had come in during the exchange wanted to talk intelligently about monetary policy, something he hadn’t discussed since college economics.
I think there are more of us, too. Most people I talk to (and all the people I hang out with) feel that the far right is extremely dangerous to the future of our country.
As a Canadian living 30 miles from Detroit I too fear another Trump presidency. Canada generally has a better system than the States, no fear of gun violence but there has been influencing forces from your country trying to get a foothold over here. The problem we had in Ottawa in 2021 had a lot of funding from your country and there are people here who adhere to the influence of Trump. Our current Conservative leader is one of them. This right leaning thinking is happening all over the world. God help us!
The Wheels of Justice turn slowly but they do turn and I am confident that he will lose many of the cases against him. If you follow the NYC fraud trial you would see that he has cheated paying taxes there and while it feels like that case is dragging on, they are making sure that when he appeals the decision (and we know he will) there is nothing that he can win the appeal on. Slow and Steady wins the race here.
Global harm is right. All those thinking of leaving for another country, keep that in mind. The only answer is to make sure he is defeated and that will require giving no traction to the minor candidates entering the election. It is team Blue or chaos.
You definitely got that right, get out the vote, or just blame and curse yourself what the “” Eff”” happened. His base doesn’t go beyond 60 plus million voters, there are more good people in the US than the bad people. Let’s prove it on November, 5th, 2024.
If we don’t realize and know the venom 45th spews, well then we deserve him
So act instead of ruminating. Sign up for "Informed Comment", Demandprogress.org, public citizen.org, sunrise movement, nrdc.org, center for biological diversity.org...come to grips with at some level it is all out of our hands while at the same time it is in our hands. Perhaps the point is - to do everything that you can do to inform your representatives/senators/president of what you want and do not want done in your name..pipe up....silence is a "position" that assumed to be "agreed to" ...and often colludes with the worst energies that are the most harmful policies and acts that proceed from those policies. My mother at 97 was taking stands against the Vietnam War, literally on the street corner with a sign. If she could do that with lousy painful feet, then we can to. And every little bit counts. Energetically. Just like the Sean Fein's and Chris Small's work. And the UAW workers and the Amazon workers strikes...you matter ....and your itty bitty voice matters. Stand up and howl for decency!
May we thank Secretary Antony Blinken and all those diplomats negotiating for peace in all corners of the world, behind closed doors, out of the reach of MSM who fight to keep our nation and our allies free of war in-so-far as possible. They work quietly and yet with great purpose and should be acknowledged for the work they do on behalf of the people of this and other sovereign nations around the world. They are not celebrated as their work is so very secretive but they must be here and now as we wish them success in their endeavors to calm an agitated world.
Dan and Eliot, you are correct to move at least some of our focus to the delicate dance of diplomacy going on, most of it, as you have pointed out, behind closed doors. The United States election is one year off, but the threat of war, possibly expanding to world war, is immediate, and at our doorstep. Thank you for this essay for assisting us to gain perspective.
Selina, I believe the “fruits” of such efforts will unfold over time. Journalists are not privy to closed door, back channel negotiations. It will take time; patience please.
Judith - Hmm back channel negotiations. Meanwhile - hospitals get shafted into smithereens, lots of families, children, babies murdered....I leave patience to you for the back channel negotiations while I give witness to the actual events that are occurring now. Hopefully, if I see a woman getting beaten on the street, I intend to be one of the witnesses who doesn't wait to see whether the police will show up or not but instead will step in to do whatever I can to stop the beating.
p.s. - I wonder how patient and sanguine you are when you see your own kid being pummeled (shot) to death? What's that old saying? Do unto others .....?
I understand your fury, urgency, I get it. I am limited by my own circumstances to my electronic devices and writing to effect any change at all. If you are young, able bodied, feel the need, then by all means use that anger to the purposes you deem worthy. Maintain your righteous indignation to bring about change in more immediate and active ways. We need you.
Good for you for urging the younger ones. So, do your part. Use your electronic devices to hound your senators, reps, mayor, local newspaper....use your phone to pester them and the President, everyday...make it a ritual like brushing your dentures...insist on being heard...Judith Hubbard ...I am probably your age cohort...we old people have the time to raise caine on our devices - THANK HEAVENS for them...contact Our Revolution.org (Bernie's legacy)...sign petitions...hook up with Ro Khanna's (CA) efforts to support progressives...there's a heck of a lot you can do..with your computer...
The diplomatic corps was decimated during trump's occupation of the WH. The current ambassador to China (Nick Burns) was a couple of years behind me in high school. I was able to hear him speak in Boston before the 2019 election and he gave such an interesting and impressive overview of the life of a career diplomat (in his case going on 40 years). The job is filled with a range of experiences that build the skill set to deal with leaders around the world. These men and women are truly the unsung heroes and we (as well as the world) are beyond fortunate to have that level of talent working for peaceful solutions to immensely difficult problems. One observation I made is when Nick and I spoke one-on-one (and he didn't know me from Adam!), I was the only person in the room, immediately put at ease, and the conversation was not about him-we talked about the 'ole home town and how things have changed. He did that with each and every person he spoke with.
I was taught in high school that one of the major reasons for the establishment of the UN was to provide a forum for nations' verbal conflicts so that diplomacy has a better chance of success. Basically because all sides are heard in a rules based setting. The people who deride this function ignore it's proven ability over the years to sucessfully help to defuse dangerous and difficult situation. Thanks for your reminder that diplomacy, although difficult and time consuming, defangs aggression as well. Excellent observation. I do like to hear your comments from your work as a journalist.
Make no mistake, what Hamas has done was and remains horrific. Hamas has victimized and used/abused its own people. Using people’s homes, offices and hospitals as cover. It’s cowardly and sickening.
Let’s also remember, Bibi has preferred to ignore Hamas for >15-years. He’s continued to antagonize them through illegal settlement expansion. He’s not tried negotiating a two state agreement. The latter is not just his fault because how do you negotiate with someone who thinks your very existence should end.
This region of the world has a deep and complex history. Generations carry the memories of the past. Sadly, instead of doing the hard work of diplomacy, what we’re seeing now is merely the infection of a new generation of terrorists.
Hamas, like Al Queda will never disappear. It will only morph into something different, perhaps worse.
I agree with most of that. But it was Bibi’s goal to keep Hamas going while containing them as a threat to some sort of ‘low level’. When Hamas got out of hand or politics demanded a response, IDF “mowed the grass.” Charming landscape term that meant bombing, raids, or other retaliation mostly against civilians because Hamas hid in tunnels and had its own resources. A, if not the, primary purpose was to keep Gaza and the West Bank from unifying under one party again which in turn prevented any discussion of a 2 state solution.
Netanyahu is quoted as saying those in favor of preventing a 2 state solution should be on board with “bolstering Hamas. It is part of our strategy.” Included was the necessity for money transfers. This was behind closed doors to his Likud party, March 2019. Seems far fetched except for the photos & headline in the Jerusalem Post (11/8/2018):
Three suitcases stuffed with $15m pass to Hamas in Gaza
The money was given to Hamas by Qatar, but would have needed Israeli approval to enter the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing.
Another report in 2/22/2020 from the Times of Israel: Liberman: Netanyahu sent Mossad head, general to Qatar, ‘begged’ it to pay Hamas
Yisrael Beytenu party leader says the pair were sent by PM two weeks ago to convince Doha not to end its money transfers to the Gaza-based terror group
The article included this quote: “Both Egypt and Qatar are angry with Hamas and planned to cut ties with them. Suddenly Netanyahu appears as the defender of Hamas, as though it was an environmental organization. This is a policy of submission to terror,” he said, adding that Israel was paying Hamas “protection money” to maintain the calm.
Netanyahu ran on a policy of no 2 state solution. It is the only way he could put together a rightwing coalition, be PM and be assured of staying out of jail for corruption. In addition to - IMO - multiple unsavory characters in his cabinet and other policy makers, this one stands out: Ben Givr. An 8x convicted felon, including assisting or supporting a terrorist organization was Netanyahu’s pick for national security minister. (The terrorist group was responsible for the assassination of previous Prime Minister Rabin.)
The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) did an interesting article summarizing many aspects of this mess. It seems everyone within Netanyahu’s reach is vulnerable to his needs.
Yes, Bibi is a traitor to his own country. Progressive Israelis have been trying to get rid of him for many years, but he hangs on. I do not understand Israel’s government policies and how Bibi was able to finagle his way back in. Can anyone explain that to me?
I would guess same tactics that chump used. They were buds back then, likely would be again.if chump cheats his way back in. I’d like to know who is funding him. Hope it’s not us.
In fact Hamas represents the ultimate Islamic ambitions as spelt out in 'the book' - that means they want to convert, make subservient or kill, all the world's humans. Of course they think they have their God on their side, and they are fulfilling his instructions, but that makes them the height of danger to the rest of us. They will never stop as long as they have members willing to take on this mindset. The large majority of ordinary Muslims do not ascribe to this extreme ideology, but make no mistake, whatever Hamas thinks will work is what they will do - no point is discussing anything with them - if you are not a Muslim, you are their enemy !
Dan, I think it's worth noting and absent from your piece, The war on Gaza did not start on October 7, 2023. No, Zionist Israel started it 75 years ago to "found" Zionist Israel when armed Zionists from Europe stormed Palestine, massacring and destroying more than 400 villages and cities, forced at gunpoint 6-750,000 Palestinians out of their own nation, and Zionist Israel has brutalized Palestinians and murdered thousands upon thousands of Palestinians for these past 75 years. Moreover, Zionist Israel's brutal military has occupied what little remains of Palestine for 60 years and has committed genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism and, yes Dan, has continued to terrorize Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem. All of this Islam-hate and "deplomacy" funded $3.8 billion yearly to Israel for weapons to continue massacring Palestinians. President Biden, proclaims himself a "Zionist." Little wonder why he is shoveling yet another $14.3 billion into the hands of Zionist Israel funding its wholesale genicide in Gaza.
Permit me to suggest, Dan, that your readers study the following truth about American "Deplomacy:
What US media is missing in Israel’s war on Gaza...and why it matters
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your comment. It is time I believe, for the US to rethink it's blind support of Bibi and his IDF murdering monsters.
The IDF are NOT murderous monsters. They are in fact quite humane. There is no comparison to what Hamas did to the Israeli’s which is more in line with murdering monsters.
They are murderous monsters. They routinely shoot and kill children who throw rocks at their trucks. They think this is fine because then those children will never grow up and hold them accountable. Hamas will be dealt with and have made their own bed to lay in. Bibi and his murderous IDF need to go.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. If you rely only on what you read and hear about in the United States, then it’s no wonder you think this way.
I certainly do not rely on either the US or Israeli government for the truth of what goes on in Bibi's government! And yes, you are entitled to your opinion, wrong as you are. However, you are not entitled to your own facts when those so called facts are based on lies from Bibi or his IDF.
Dan Rather does not read the comments written here and I am sure that he is convinced of his conclusions regardless of the truth of history. Although he is a very successful journalist who once stood up to Nixon he is an idealist who honestly believes some of the nonsense as is expressed in the last paragraph of this article. Diplomats do not understand the principles of human behavior, the sociology of human culture or any of the sciences as they might apply to economic or social anthropology as these disciplines are not within the realm of their major interests. The answers to the problems of mankind are available but they will not be found in the areas of politics, religion or conventional approaches. There is the definition of insanity and various levels of unsanity to contend with. Repeating the same behavior over and over again getting the same results is in that definition. No nation has ever changed the minds of the people they have conquered. The conflicts ending in loss only produce resentments that last generation after generation. Diplomats are far too ignorant to consider that. Both sides of every issue and every conflict are not representative of the lives and the humanity that they are supposed to represent. They only represent the leaderships and the wealth ownerships.
P.S The answers to social problems can be found in the sciences.
By now, after thousands of years, you’d think the world wound be weary of war. Mankind has been bashing one another with rocks, sticks, arrows, bullets and bombs almost from Day One.
Cain slew Abel and tried hiding his murder from God. When God, presumably not practicing omniscience ( again), asked Cain if he knew Abel’s whereabouts. Which drew that great, ever enduring response “ Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Ideally we all are our Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper. Haven’t done a very good job over the millennia.
Jews have had the awful misfortune of being one of mankind’s most maligned groups.
The genesis (pardon the pun) of antisemitism has yet to be explained satisfactorily.
As an African American I relate on a deep level to the oppression of Jews. It’s an awful awful awful feeling being hated because of the human group you were born into.
There’s an old blues song with the line “ What did I do to be so Black and blue?”
I’m sure our Jewish neighbors must ask
“ What did I do to be hated ‘ cause I’m a Jew’”
If God had answered Cain “ Yes, you are your Brother’s Keeper. Keep him” maybe the world would be a very different place.
Jesus tried encouraging people to love one another. To keep one another. To treat each other as we want to be treated. We all know what happened….
We’ve been told for centuries the “ end times” would be marked by wars and rumors of wars.
In my 75 years the “ end times” have come and gone many times.
Rules of war is an oxymoron. Humans have never played nice in wars.
You do not speak for me or for the 40 plus millions of Black Americans in the United States regarding the flare up in the Near East hemorrhoid called the Israel-Gaza War. Supposedly Black Americans somehow must champion an international cause at the expense of pushing for our self interests in the United States. Such naivete reeks of the plantation mindset whereby the noble slave sacrifices himself while rushing to defend his master. It's very difficult and disingenuous to take sides with people who have fought with each other since Moses was in diapers.
I've travelled to and worked in Israel between 1995 and 2007, and let me tell you, the modern State of Israel differs immensely from the Biblical one. It's become a modern theocracy run by an autocrat with the military and financial support of US tax dollars. None of the modern Israeli leaders will give thanks to NAACP leader Walter White or Nobel Laureate Ralph Bunche, the two Black American diplomats who formulated US foreign policies that created the modern State of Israel. Meanwhile AIPAC lobbyists dictate their political agendas to members of the Congressional Black Caucus to ostracize and silence any Black American who criticizes the government and policies of Israel. I can attest to that practice after working as a legislative aide to a Congressional Black Caucus member.
Furthermore, what the media projects about Israel differs vastly from what actually occurs in the country. Believe me when I tell you that social attitudes and customs in modern Israel differ very little from those of historical records of early 20th century United States. Keep in mind that the majority of Israelis came from European countries with very little intention of integrating their customs to an Asian land where people had lived for centuries.
As for the Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim alike, they're fighting against modern colonialism laced with religious zealotry. The Palestinians have fought with Israelis for 75 years over a land grab aided and abetted by the US backed United Nations. The United Nations has failed as a governing body to do its due diligence in preventing a regional conflict from escalating into an all out global war.
I do not support the US involvement in the Israel-Gaza War simply because the US will eventually commit ground troops in another senseless war in Asia. Since Black Americans comprise the largest ethnic group in the military, Black Americans will disproportionately shoulder the burden of fighting in this conflict. Simply put, Black Americans have no dog in this fight that distracts us from fighting for economic and political rights in the United States.
Dan, I have a dystopian worry about the Tuberville military promotion holds: He's trying to gum up the works to clear the field for highly politicized appointments by Trump. Effectively turbo-charging the dystopian "Project 2025". Stephen Miller's plan to create a patriarchy ruled by guys like him. Could this be true?
Tuberville's idiocy is putting in bas relief the systemic problem, that is the un-democratic nature of our Congress. Isn't it time to make our current (non) representative republic a decent one?
I support President Biden and will vote for him but the United States has given Israel Carte Blanche for way too many years. The attack was tragic but the response even more from a humanitarian standpoint.
I hope that we become willing to use our most basic survival skills of being able to communicate, cooperate, and negotiate to overcome our individual and collective greed for commodities and power.
A strong, capable State Department is so essential ... and needed much strengthening after DJT's term. Diplomacy seems mandatory for all nations if the world is to successfully deal with climate change.
You didn't mention the diplomacy needed to solve global warming. 'The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territory". Where we are failing miserably, the result of which is inevitable wars over livable land, food, and water. It is a beautiful sunny day in the Pacific Northwest. I'll enjoy it while I eat my tofu.
Thank you for bringing into the discussion the undervalued, quiet global work done by our diplomats. With our military forces stationed near to the Middle East, in the Straits of Taiwan, and on call in case of need in the Ukraine, our diplomats are busy working toward resolution and the ending of violence in multiple theaters. Our enemies are on alert for opportunities to weaken the USA. There are just too many players with different agendas in each of these conflicts for the success of reasonable resolutions. I am hopeful that the Israeli government and the leadership of Hamas will agree to the current proposal for the return of 50 kidnapped women and children in exchange for a multiple day pause in the war, humanitarian supplies, and the release of some Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. If this arrangement works, perhaps diplomacy can develop a longer lasting pause with the return of all the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. If not, then what does the world expect from Israel? The nations of the world allowed too much time waiting to know the true intentions of Hitler and the Third Reich. Millions of innocent people were murdered even before the US military got the upper hand in the Pacific war and could start the offensive in Europe. By then, it was too late to stop the ethnic cleansing of Jews in Europe. So in conclusion, I see four issues:
1- The nation of Israel takes full responsibility for the protection of its people because it must.
2- Palestinians must have their own nation to govern for the protection of its people and accept wholeheartedly the right of Israel to exist.
3- Hamas has demonstrated its inability to forego violence and butchery and must be destroyed
4- The other nations of the Middle East must support the efforts to assure the safety of Israel and the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian nation.
I'm curious Susan Dorfman. Is the USA acting like an Empire fine with you? 700 military installations - 3 war zones where our troops are fighting - Somalia, Syria, Yemen - acting as the world's police - all guided by the Wolfowitz Doctrine (see Wikipedia).
Dear Selena, Steady is one of the few sites where I express my thoughts and opinions. Responses to what I contribute usually contain additional information pertinent to the discussion started by Dan Rather or viewpoints of people that differ from what I write. Rarely are the responses diatribes that attack the writer.
You clearly have a personal agenda that suits your needs. What I don't understand is why you felt the need to attack me and do it twice. Clearly, there is enough hatred and anger expressed in this nation in the streets, on the college campuses, and in social media. Why didn't you express your thoughts as a separate post on this site instead of dissecting mine with what comes off as insult and anger? There exists a plethora of books, essays and articles covering the history of the Holy Land. The long line of conquerors/colonizers who occupied those lands created stories passed down through the ages that continued into modern times. Our backgrounds, life experiences, and choices of reading materials (and mine is not Wikipedia) contribute to our biases and world view. In addition, archeology and forensic biology are continually questioning those historical stories by analysis of DNA and proteins from human remains found in the Holy Land.
So, the questions of who came first and to whom does the land belong have answers that are changing. Jewish people were driven from the land by a succession of conquerors. Jews have suffered persecutions and expulsions for over a millennium waiting to return. A nascent UN (yes, supported by the USA, the only western nation with the funds to do so following WWII) ordered the establishment of a Jewish State. Great Britain occupied the land and was instructed to divide the land called Palestine into two states. Great Britain oversaw the division with the same success with which it brokered that of India and Pakistan. Great Britain as well as the Arab states did not expect the Jewish state to survive. Egypt monitored Gaza, and Jordan, the West Bank. Seventy-five years of conflict and war as well as right-wing religious fanatics and proxy nation interference created the hatred and mess of today. There must be a solution to the need for a homeland for the Palestinian people. What nations will concede the land for a Palestinian nation, Israel and Jordan? What happens to Gaza? This is a discussion for Israel and the Arab nations with the attention of the world, colonizers and all. Best to you, Susan
I would point out that those who ask very pointed questions of specific individuals do so because it relieves them of the task of answering and explaining their answers.
I differ with your response a little on the history of Israel’s formation.
“These events led to a League of Nations decision to place Palestine under the administration of Great Britain as the Mandatory Power under the Mandates System adopted by the League [League of Nations]. In principle, the Mandate was meant to be in the nature of a transitory phase until Palestine attained the status of a fully independent nation, a status provisionally recognized in the League’s Covenant, but in fact the Mandate’s historical evolution did not result in the emergence of Palestine as an independent nation. … https://www.un.org/unispal/history2/origins-and-evolution-of-the-palestine-problem/part-i-1917-1947/#Origins_and_Evolution_of_the_Palestine_Problem_1917-1947_Part_I
One reason for the “principle” of an independent Palestinian state was the promise contained in the Hussein-McMahon correspondence, 1915-1916. In essence an agreement on a shared purpose to oppose the Ottoman Empire - Britain received support of Arabs and Arabs were to receive an independent state.
Arabs/Palestinians maintain the agreement was broken. The other perspective is it was never intended to include Palestine. Murky at best.
Violence begets violence in the theatre of the oppressed whereby the victims of the German Holocaust perpetuate the same cruel vindictive policies of genocide and justify ethnic cleansing to protect their interests of the state. It was George Santanyana who warned everyone that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
The farcical two-state proposal for a separate but unequal Palestinian state alongside Israel never had a chance to materialise so long as the United States controlled the purse strings and diplomatic policies of the United Nations. For three quarters of a century the economic prowess and military might of the United States single handedly assured the external safety of the right of Israel to exist. Much to the chagrin of United States taxpayers during this era, Israel has enjoyed its favored status as a top priority in foreign expenditures that include free education and healthcare as well as superior technology that guarantees all the creature comforts to enjoy a First World lifestyle.
Much to the chagrin of the free world, Israel has devolved into a theocratic autocracy where violence and butchery have become normalised. The violent language that calls for extermination and destruction in terms of collective punishment echo the same sentiment of the Fuhrer of the German Third Reich. It is hypocritical, albeit diabolical, to advocate for total destruction of Palestinians and then claim a separate Palestinian homeland will solve the issue. The governing authorities in Israel operate a collective punishment policy that sees all Palestinians as members of Hamas. Nothing will stop the current Israeli leadership from enacting collective punishment of Palestinians as a national policy so long as hardliners inside and outside the country justify it in terms of defending the right of Israel to exist.
Other nations in the Near East, such as Jordan, have no obligation to assure the safety of Israel which has continuously violated the terms of the 1967 cease fire agreement. I point to Jordan in particular because it's one the destinations for displaced Palestinians that also has territorial claims to Jerusalem and the West Bank.
As for creating a contiguous Palestinian nation, that's not a number one priority for Anthony Blinken or anyone else in the Biden Administration. Suffice it to say based on his family history and personal politics, Anthony Blinken will never entertain the idea of giving Palestinians any right to return or even building their own nation state.
Dear Blueberry Muffin, Please see my response to Selena Sellers above. Your response was directed to what I wrote, so you may be interested. If the three of us have such different priorities in how we view this most recent war, imagine all the viewpoints and priorities of those directly involved. For all our sakes and the generations to follow, I hope peace is reached soon. Best. Susan
Neither Anthony Blinken nor Bibi Netanyahu desire Peace in our time. To them defining a new world order represents a zero-sum game where the winners control the resources and rewrite the historical narrative. Diplomacy absolutely means nothing to leaders who believe that might makes right in their chess game of Realpoltik. Empires rise as empires fall because those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.
I am having great difficulty focusing on the world when trump is walking free and has terrible plans for this country. I understand what’s going on else where it’s just too much to take in sometimes.
I agree, Lisa. A Trump win in 2024 will have unthinkable consequences to the US and to the world order. A relatively level-headed approach to foreign policy from the US is critical. Though not nearly without blemishes, the US still represents a higher order of conscience and wields enough power to at least help right any unevenness in the world when they wish. With Trump, that will die, or at least be comatose for too long, and damaged for much, much longer.
Yes we are far from perfect as a country but what you say is true. I don’t know how to get through the upcoming year. I fear for all of us and truly hate him and what he is being allowed to do.
I feel worried also. It’s bad enough that Fascism and Nazism are spreading once again, but I never thought it would happen in the U.S. What concerns me the most is that many Americans and the Republican Party have embraced this trend, which I believe has been greatly influenced by Trump and our media. I just don’t understand why people with authority and power can interfere in our election process, spread hateful and untruthful messages, encourage people to harm others, try to destroy our democracy, and not have any consequences. I find it most concerning that with all the mass shootings that we have had the Republicans refuse to ban assault weapons. First, they divide us with hateful messages and encourage people to harm others that don’t agree with them. Then they ban abortions, change election rules, ban books, refuse to acknowledge Biden as our President, and try to destroy our public school system. It’s like they want to start a civil war and they want people armed and ready. They have also infiltrated our institutions with people who follow the Party line no matter how harmful it may be. It’s also quite alarming the number of Americans who are loyal to Trump no matter what he has done. Just like he said, he could shoot someone on the street and people would still vote for him. Why would anyone find that appealing in a leader? Something very sinister is going on. I wonder who is behind this all. Americans must vote straight Democrat tickets in record numbers if we are going to be able to save our democracy and turn this situation around.
Let’s just work to not let that happen.
Me too. I have a constant ache in the pit of my stomach! Occasionally, when I think he might actually win, I start scouring the Canadian real estate pages! Never did I expect trump would ever occupy the WH the first time. When he did, my eldest son said their generation will live the rest of their lives with the mess he creates. I suggested to all my kids they should consider leaving the country . . . better to be too early vs. too late. None did and now if trump were to occupy the WH it really would be too late. It is frightening and we really must invoke the rule of law a bit more quickly!
I am so afraid as well and have been thinking the same although where would I go? The father of my daughter in law lives in Germany and I hope my son and family could go there.
Still the fact that so many of us are thinking this way could have been avoided if Trump had been convicted by the Senate when they had the chance.
I agree completely. Unfortunately, some of us are too old to be accepted into another country so have no option but to stay and watch things crumble if he returns to the White House.
He will not.
I am holding true to faith in the legal system. Jack Smaith is one of those quiet warriors Dan is talking about.
Justice will come for drumpf, even if it’s in the form of a stroke. We don’t actually see much of him, although his rabid cult do. As the pressure from his legal problems crush him, his insanity will become irrefutable.
It’s not the drumpf I fear, but the Koch’s and the Leonard Leo’s.
I hope to heaven you are right about drumpf. His culture is also dangerous and that is why we must all keep on voting and in supporting what is right for all people, not just for the wealthy. I don't want my grandchildren and great grandchildren to grow up in an authoritarian world.
I hope so too. When I get the pervasive dread, what another reader calls “thin -ice anxiety”, I merely hope for a livable world.
I think the hateful drumpf cultists are a loud minority. I talk to people, when I’m stuck somewhere. Recently getting an oil change I brought up the issue of the debt. The large tattooed Hispanic guy replied I was stupid and probably didn’t know how to protect my family. He also claimed he was a financial manager.
After an exchange, he left with his sad teenage looking girlfriend? Stepdaughter? In tow.
The man who had come in during the exchange wanted to talk intelligently about monetary policy, something he hadn’t discussed since college economics.
I think there’s more of us.
I think there are more of us, too. Most people I talk to (and all the people I hang out with) feel that the far right is extremely dangerous to the future of our country.
When tea party came along, I started researching So. America. Finally made it to Ecuador at 68 yrs old. It's a lot better!
I know that ache. For me it would be Mexico.
For me it is Portugal. Trump and his possible reentry into the presidency keeps me up at night. I despise him and his followers.
Lol. Portugal? A country with a long and proud history of actual Fascism? You people, I swear. Look up “Estado Novo”.
Uruguay for me...
I, too, am thinking Canada. It is less than 10 miles up the road.
As a Canadian living 30 miles from Detroit I too fear another Trump presidency. Canada generally has a better system than the States, no fear of gun violence but there has been influencing forces from your country trying to get a foothold over here. The problem we had in Ottawa in 2021 had a lot of funding from your country and there are people here who adhere to the influence of Trump. Our current Conservative leader is one of them. This right leaning thinking is happening all over the world. God help us!
The Wheels of Justice turn slowly but they do turn and I am confident that he will lose many of the cases against him. If you follow the NYC fraud trial you would see that he has cheated paying taxes there and while it feels like that case is dragging on, they are making sure that when he appeals the decision (and we know he will) there is nothing that he can win the appeal on. Slow and Steady wins the race here.
Very true, Lisa. I would describe 45th as domestic terrorist causing global harm, too. You couldn’t have said it better
Yes definitely a terrorist. Might not look like the stereotypical terrorist but he fits.
Global harm is right. All those thinking of leaving for another country, keep that in mind. The only answer is to make sure he is defeated and that will require giving no traction to the minor candidates entering the election. It is team Blue or chaos.
You definitely got that right, get out the vote, or just blame and curse yourself what the “” Eff”” happened. His base doesn’t go beyond 60 plus million voters, there are more good people in the US than the bad people. Let’s prove it on November, 5th, 2024.
If we don’t realize and know the venom 45th spews, well then we deserve him
So act instead of ruminating. Sign up for "Informed Comment", Demandprogress.org, public citizen.org, sunrise movement, nrdc.org, center for biological diversity.org...come to grips with at some level it is all out of our hands while at the same time it is in our hands. Perhaps the point is - to do everything that you can do to inform your representatives/senators/president of what you want and do not want done in your name..pipe up....silence is a "position" that assumed to be "agreed to" ...and often colludes with the worst energies that are the most harmful policies and acts that proceed from those policies. My mother at 97 was taking stands against the Vietnam War, literally on the street corner with a sign. If she could do that with lousy painful feet, then we can to. And every little bit counts. Energetically. Just like the Sean Fein's and Chris Small's work. And the UAW workers and the Amazon workers strikes...you matter ....and your itty bitty voice matters. Stand up and howl for decency!
I am a pollworker and have been for the last 3 elections.
I ignore the news reports about Trump. He is not important, never should have been important! And there are so many other stories that matter!
Understandable. I feel overwhelmed sometimes myself. Taking a walk and shutting down devices for a time and listening to music instead helps me.
Yes I walk 2 miles every morning. My escape is quilting and sewing.
They're burying 100's of people in mass graves in Palestine right now...perhaps you might spare a sliver of focus on that.
I am well aware. As I said.
How ungraceful....
How troll ish. We’re done here.
May we thank Secretary Antony Blinken and all those diplomats negotiating for peace in all corners of the world, behind closed doors, out of the reach of MSM who fight to keep our nation and our allies free of war in-so-far as possible. They work quietly and yet with great purpose and should be acknowledged for the work they do on behalf of the people of this and other sovereign nations around the world. They are not celebrated as their work is so very secretive but they must be here and now as we wish them success in their endeavors to calm an agitated world.
Dan and Eliot, you are correct to move at least some of our focus to the delicate dance of diplomacy going on, most of it, as you have pointed out, behind closed doors. The United States election is one year off, but the threat of war, possibly expanding to world war, is immediate, and at our doorstep. Thank you for this essay for assisting us to gain perspective.
I am impressed with efforts by Antony Blinken. Confirmed ambassadors in the area would make their combined efforts and influence much more effective
One of the things I appreciate is the lack of bluster and that screeching criticism does not throw Blinken or Biden off track.
What are the fruits of Blinken's efforts that impresses you? Please provide sources. Thank you.
Selina, I believe the “fruits” of such efforts will unfold over time. Journalists are not privy to closed door, back channel negotiations. It will take time; patience please.
Judith - Hmm back channel negotiations. Meanwhile - hospitals get shafted into smithereens, lots of families, children, babies murdered....I leave patience to you for the back channel negotiations while I give witness to the actual events that are occurring now. Hopefully, if I see a woman getting beaten on the street, I intend to be one of the witnesses who doesn't wait to see whether the police will show up or not but instead will step in to do whatever I can to stop the beating.
p.s. - I wonder how patient and sanguine you are when you see your own kid being pummeled (shot) to death? What's that old saying? Do unto others .....?
I understand your fury, urgency, I get it. I am limited by my own circumstances to my electronic devices and writing to effect any change at all. If you are young, able bodied, feel the need, then by all means use that anger to the purposes you deem worthy. Maintain your righteous indignation to bring about change in more immediate and active ways. We need you.
Good for you for urging the younger ones. So, do your part. Use your electronic devices to hound your senators, reps, mayor, local newspaper....use your phone to pester them and the President, everyday...make it a ritual like brushing your dentures...insist on being heard...Judith Hubbard ...I am probably your age cohort...we old people have the time to raise caine on our devices - THANK HEAVENS for them...contact Our Revolution.org (Bernie's legacy)...sign petitions...hook up with Ro Khanna's (CA) efforts to support progressives...there's a heck of a lot you can do..with your computer...
We’re on the same page !❤️🇺🇸🌎
The diplomatic corps was decimated during trump's occupation of the WH. The current ambassador to China (Nick Burns) was a couple of years behind me in high school. I was able to hear him speak in Boston before the 2019 election and he gave such an interesting and impressive overview of the life of a career diplomat (in his case going on 40 years). The job is filled with a range of experiences that build the skill set to deal with leaders around the world. These men and women are truly the unsung heroes and we (as well as the world) are beyond fortunate to have that level of talent working for peaceful solutions to immensely difficult problems. One observation I made is when Nick and I spoke one-on-one (and he didn't know me from Adam!), I was the only person in the room, immediately put at ease, and the conversation was not about him-we talked about the 'ole home town and how things have changed. He did that with each and every person he spoke with.
I was taught in high school that one of the major reasons for the establishment of the UN was to provide a forum for nations' verbal conflicts so that diplomacy has a better chance of success. Basically because all sides are heard in a rules based setting. The people who deride this function ignore it's proven ability over the years to sucessfully help to defuse dangerous and difficult situation. Thanks for your reminder that diplomacy, although difficult and time consuming, defangs aggression as well. Excellent observation. I do like to hear your comments from your work as a journalist.
Well said! 👏🏻
Make no mistake, what Hamas has done was and remains horrific. Hamas has victimized and used/abused its own people. Using people’s homes, offices and hospitals as cover. It’s cowardly and sickening.
Let’s also remember, Bibi has preferred to ignore Hamas for >15-years. He’s continued to antagonize them through illegal settlement expansion. He’s not tried negotiating a two state agreement. The latter is not just his fault because how do you negotiate with someone who thinks your very existence should end.
This region of the world has a deep and complex history. Generations carry the memories of the past. Sadly, instead of doing the hard work of diplomacy, what we’re seeing now is merely the infection of a new generation of terrorists.
Hamas, like Al Queda will never disappear. It will only morph into something different, perhaps worse.
There is no easy answer to this issue.
I agree with most of that. But it was Bibi’s goal to keep Hamas going while containing them as a threat to some sort of ‘low level’. When Hamas got out of hand or politics demanded a response, IDF “mowed the grass.” Charming landscape term that meant bombing, raids, or other retaliation mostly against civilians because Hamas hid in tunnels and had its own resources. A, if not the, primary purpose was to keep Gaza and the West Bank from unifying under one party again which in turn prevented any discussion of a 2 state solution.
Netanyahu is quoted as saying those in favor of preventing a 2 state solution should be on board with “bolstering Hamas. It is part of our strategy.” Included was the necessity for money transfers. This was behind closed doors to his Likud party, March 2019. Seems far fetched except for the photos & headline in the Jerusalem Post (11/8/2018):
Three suitcases stuffed with $15m pass to Hamas in Gaza
The money was given to Hamas by Qatar, but would have needed Israeli approval to enter the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing.
Another report in 2/22/2020 from the Times of Israel: Liberman: Netanyahu sent Mossad head, general to Qatar, ‘begged’ it to pay Hamas
Yisrael Beytenu party leader says the pair were sent by PM two weeks ago to convince Doha not to end its money transfers to the Gaza-based terror group
The article included this quote: “Both Egypt and Qatar are angry with Hamas and planned to cut ties with them. Suddenly Netanyahu appears as the defender of Hamas, as though it was an environmental organization. This is a policy of submission to terror,” he said, adding that Israel was paying Hamas “protection money” to maintain the calm.
Netanyahu ran on a policy of no 2 state solution. It is the only way he could put together a rightwing coalition, be PM and be assured of staying out of jail for corruption. In addition to - IMO - multiple unsavory characters in his cabinet and other policy makers, this one stands out: Ben Givr. An 8x convicted felon, including assisting or supporting a terrorist organization was Netanyahu’s pick for national security minister. (The terrorist group was responsible for the assassination of previous Prime Minister Rabin.)
The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) did an interesting article summarizing many aspects of this mess. It seems everyone within Netanyahu’s reach is vulnerable to his needs.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-1.7010035
Bebe is a traitor to Israel's survival. Period.
Much like Donald Trump is a threat to US democracy.
Exactly
Yes, Bibi is a traitor to his own country. Progressive Israelis have been trying to get rid of him for many years, but he hangs on. I do not understand Israel’s government policies and how Bibi was able to finagle his way back in. Can anyone explain that to me?
I would guess same tactics that chump used. They were buds back then, likely would be again.if chump cheats his way back in. I’d like to know who is funding him. Hope it’s not us.
In fact Hamas represents the ultimate Islamic ambitions as spelt out in 'the book' - that means they want to convert, make subservient or kill, all the world's humans. Of course they think they have their God on their side, and they are fulfilling his instructions, but that makes them the height of danger to the rest of us. They will never stop as long as they have members willing to take on this mindset. The large majority of ordinary Muslims do not ascribe to this extreme ideology, but make no mistake, whatever Hamas thinks will work is what they will do - no point is discussing anything with them - if you are not a Muslim, you are their enemy !
While I understand what you’re saying, genocide is not a good idea. There are no cases that I can cite where that tact has worked.
Diplomatic means are the only answer, imo.
You’d think, of all people, Jews would know this. But you’d be wrong.
Dan, I think it's worth noting and absent from your piece, The war on Gaza did not start on October 7, 2023. No, Zionist Israel started it 75 years ago to "found" Zionist Israel when armed Zionists from Europe stormed Palestine, massacring and destroying more than 400 villages and cities, forced at gunpoint 6-750,000 Palestinians out of their own nation, and Zionist Israel has brutalized Palestinians and murdered thousands upon thousands of Palestinians for these past 75 years. Moreover, Zionist Israel's brutal military has occupied what little remains of Palestine for 60 years and has committed genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism and, yes Dan, has continued to terrorize Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem. All of this Islam-hate and "deplomacy" funded $3.8 billion yearly to Israel for weapons to continue massacring Palestinians. President Biden, proclaims himself a "Zionist." Little wonder why he is shoveling yet another $14.3 billion into the hands of Zionist Israel funding its wholesale genicide in Gaza.
Permit me to suggest, Dan, that your readers study the following truth about American "Deplomacy:
What US media is missing in Israel’s war on Gaza...and why it matters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loyptuBMHmo
THE GAZA SIEGE: A HARSH SPOTLIGHT ON THE WEST’S MORAL BANKRUPTCY
https://theintercept.com/2023/11/15/intercepted-gaza-biden-netanyahu/
The ethnic cleansing of 1948 is a potent and painful memory for Palestinians that continues to influence Palestinians today.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your comment. It is time I believe, for the US to rethink it's blind support of Bibi and his IDF murdering monsters.
The IDF are NOT murderous monsters. They are in fact quite humane. There is no comparison to what Hamas did to the Israeli’s which is more in line with murdering monsters.
They are murderous monsters. They routinely shoot and kill children who throw rocks at their trucks. They think this is fine because then those children will never grow up and hold them accountable. Hamas will be dealt with and have made their own bed to lay in. Bibi and his murderous IDF need to go.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. If you rely only on what you read and hear about in the United States, then it’s no wonder you think this way.
I certainly do not rely on either the US or Israeli government for the truth of what goes on in Bibi's government! And yes, you are entitled to your opinion, wrong as you are. However, you are not entitled to your own facts when those so called facts are based on lies from Bibi or his IDF.
Dan Rather does not read the comments written here and I am sure that he is convinced of his conclusions regardless of the truth of history. Although he is a very successful journalist who once stood up to Nixon he is an idealist who honestly believes some of the nonsense as is expressed in the last paragraph of this article. Diplomats do not understand the principles of human behavior, the sociology of human culture or any of the sciences as they might apply to economic or social anthropology as these disciplines are not within the realm of their major interests. The answers to the problems of mankind are available but they will not be found in the areas of politics, religion or conventional approaches. There is the definition of insanity and various levels of unsanity to contend with. Repeating the same behavior over and over again getting the same results is in that definition. No nation has ever changed the minds of the people they have conquered. The conflicts ending in loss only produce resentments that last generation after generation. Diplomats are far too ignorant to consider that. Both sides of every issue and every conflict are not representative of the lives and the humanity that they are supposed to represent. They only represent the leaderships and the wealth ownerships.
P.S The answers to social problems can be found in the sciences.
I agree.
Nice to see someone who has actually looked into the situation among all these knee jerk responses.
“ War, what is it good for?;
Absolutely nothing!”
“ Rules of war” sounds like an oxymoron.
By now, after thousands of years, you’d think the world wound be weary of war. Mankind has been bashing one another with rocks, sticks, arrows, bullets and bombs almost from Day One.
Cain slew Abel and tried hiding his murder from God. When God, presumably not practicing omniscience ( again), asked Cain if he knew Abel’s whereabouts. Which drew that great, ever enduring response “ Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Ideally we all are our Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper. Haven’t done a very good job over the millennia.
Jews have had the awful misfortune of being one of mankind’s most maligned groups.
The genesis (pardon the pun) of antisemitism has yet to be explained satisfactorily.
As an African American I relate on a deep level to the oppression of Jews. It’s an awful awful awful feeling being hated because of the human group you were born into.
There’s an old blues song with the line “ What did I do to be so Black and blue?”
I’m sure our Jewish neighbors must ask
“ What did I do to be hated ‘ cause I’m a Jew’”
If God had answered Cain “ Yes, you are your Brother’s Keeper. Keep him” maybe the world would be a very different place.
Jesus tried encouraging people to love one another. To keep one another. To treat each other as we want to be treated. We all know what happened….
We’ve been told for centuries the “ end times” would be marked by wars and rumors of wars.
In my 75 years the “ end times” have come and gone many times.
Rules of war is an oxymoron. Humans have never played nice in wars.
You do not speak for me or for the 40 plus millions of Black Americans in the United States regarding the flare up in the Near East hemorrhoid called the Israel-Gaza War. Supposedly Black Americans somehow must champion an international cause at the expense of pushing for our self interests in the United States. Such naivete reeks of the plantation mindset whereby the noble slave sacrifices himself while rushing to defend his master. It's very difficult and disingenuous to take sides with people who have fought with each other since Moses was in diapers.
I've travelled to and worked in Israel between 1995 and 2007, and let me tell you, the modern State of Israel differs immensely from the Biblical one. It's become a modern theocracy run by an autocrat with the military and financial support of US tax dollars. None of the modern Israeli leaders will give thanks to NAACP leader Walter White or Nobel Laureate Ralph Bunche, the two Black American diplomats who formulated US foreign policies that created the modern State of Israel. Meanwhile AIPAC lobbyists dictate their political agendas to members of the Congressional Black Caucus to ostracize and silence any Black American who criticizes the government and policies of Israel. I can attest to that practice after working as a legislative aide to a Congressional Black Caucus member.
Furthermore, what the media projects about Israel differs vastly from what actually occurs in the country. Believe me when I tell you that social attitudes and customs in modern Israel differ very little from those of historical records of early 20th century United States. Keep in mind that the majority of Israelis came from European countries with very little intention of integrating their customs to an Asian land where people had lived for centuries.
As for the Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim alike, they're fighting against modern colonialism laced with religious zealotry. The Palestinians have fought with Israelis for 75 years over a land grab aided and abetted by the US backed United Nations. The United Nations has failed as a governing body to do its due diligence in preventing a regional conflict from escalating into an all out global war.
I do not support the US involvement in the Israel-Gaza War simply because the US will eventually commit ground troops in another senseless war in Asia. Since Black Americans comprise the largest ethnic group in the military, Black Americans will disproportionately shoulder the burden of fighting in this conflict. Simply put, Black Americans have no dog in this fight that distracts us from fighting for economic and political rights in the United States.
No American has a dog in this fight.
Thank you and well stayed!
I would only add that the "brand" of Christianity being espoused by Evangelicals is the equivalent to pouring gas on a fire... SO DISAPPOINTING!!
What is it good for? polluting the environment :( and creating resistance :))))
Your book is on my reading list. Thanks for your comments.
Give us the wisdom to seek the paths of justice and peace.
Dan, I have a dystopian worry about the Tuberville military promotion holds: He's trying to gum up the works to clear the field for highly politicized appointments by Trump. Effectively turbo-charging the dystopian "Project 2025". Stephen Miller's plan to create a patriarchy ruled by guys like him. Could this be true?
Tuberville's idiocy is putting in bas relief the systemic problem, that is the un-democratic nature of our Congress. Isn't it time to make our current (non) representative republic a decent one?
The House just created a change that stops Tubby's lockdown. Democracy moves forward.
You mean the Senate, yesterday, right? Did I miss something else in the House?
I call him “Pooperville” for a reason!
I support President Biden and will vote for him but the United States has given Israel Carte Blanche for way too many years. The attack was tragic but the response even more from a humanitarian standpoint.
I agree, Christine. Netinyahu appears to have his own agenda and sees this as a way to keep control. A cease fire is a must.
I hope for the survival of our species.
I hope that we become willing to use our most basic survival skills of being able to communicate, cooperate, and negotiate to overcome our individual and collective greed for commodities and power.
A strong, capable State Department is so essential ... and needed much strengthening after DJT's term. Diplomacy seems mandatory for all nations if the world is to successfully deal with climate change.
You didn't mention the diplomacy needed to solve global warming. 'The 2023 state of the climate report: Entering uncharted territory". Where we are failing miserably, the result of which is inevitable wars over livable land, food, and water. It is a beautiful sunny day in the Pacific Northwest. I'll enjoy it while I eat my tofu.
Thank you for bringing into the discussion the undervalued, quiet global work done by our diplomats. With our military forces stationed near to the Middle East, in the Straits of Taiwan, and on call in case of need in the Ukraine, our diplomats are busy working toward resolution and the ending of violence in multiple theaters. Our enemies are on alert for opportunities to weaken the USA. There are just too many players with different agendas in each of these conflicts for the success of reasonable resolutions. I am hopeful that the Israeli government and the leadership of Hamas will agree to the current proposal for the return of 50 kidnapped women and children in exchange for a multiple day pause in the war, humanitarian supplies, and the release of some Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. If this arrangement works, perhaps diplomacy can develop a longer lasting pause with the return of all the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. If not, then what does the world expect from Israel? The nations of the world allowed too much time waiting to know the true intentions of Hitler and the Third Reich. Millions of innocent people were murdered even before the US military got the upper hand in the Pacific war and could start the offensive in Europe. By then, it was too late to stop the ethnic cleansing of Jews in Europe. So in conclusion, I see four issues:
1- The nation of Israel takes full responsibility for the protection of its people because it must.
2- Palestinians must have their own nation to govern for the protection of its people and accept wholeheartedly the right of Israel to exist.
3- Hamas has demonstrated its inability to forego violence and butchery and must be destroyed
4- The other nations of the Middle East must support the efforts to assure the safety of Israel and the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian nation.
I'm curious Susan Dorfman. Is the USA acting like an Empire fine with you? 700 military installations - 3 war zones where our troops are fighting - Somalia, Syria, Yemen - acting as the world's police - all guided by the Wolfowitz Doctrine (see Wikipedia).
Dear Selena, Steady is one of the few sites where I express my thoughts and opinions. Responses to what I contribute usually contain additional information pertinent to the discussion started by Dan Rather or viewpoints of people that differ from what I write. Rarely are the responses diatribes that attack the writer.
You clearly have a personal agenda that suits your needs. What I don't understand is why you felt the need to attack me and do it twice. Clearly, there is enough hatred and anger expressed in this nation in the streets, on the college campuses, and in social media. Why didn't you express your thoughts as a separate post on this site instead of dissecting mine with what comes off as insult and anger? There exists a plethora of books, essays and articles covering the history of the Holy Land. The long line of conquerors/colonizers who occupied those lands created stories passed down through the ages that continued into modern times. Our backgrounds, life experiences, and choices of reading materials (and mine is not Wikipedia) contribute to our biases and world view. In addition, archeology and forensic biology are continually questioning those historical stories by analysis of DNA and proteins from human remains found in the Holy Land.
So, the questions of who came first and to whom does the land belong have answers that are changing. Jewish people were driven from the land by a succession of conquerors. Jews have suffered persecutions and expulsions for over a millennium waiting to return. A nascent UN (yes, supported by the USA, the only western nation with the funds to do so following WWII) ordered the establishment of a Jewish State. Great Britain occupied the land and was instructed to divide the land called Palestine into two states. Great Britain oversaw the division with the same success with which it brokered that of India and Pakistan. Great Britain as well as the Arab states did not expect the Jewish state to survive. Egypt monitored Gaza, and Jordan, the West Bank. Seventy-five years of conflict and war as well as right-wing religious fanatics and proxy nation interference created the hatred and mess of today. There must be a solution to the need for a homeland for the Palestinian people. What nations will concede the land for a Palestinian nation, Israel and Jordan? What happens to Gaza? This is a discussion for Israel and the Arab nations with the attention of the world, colonizers and all. Best to you, Susan
I would point out that those who ask very pointed questions of specific individuals do so because it relieves them of the task of answering and explaining their answers.
I differ with your response a little on the history of Israel’s formation.
“These events led to a League of Nations decision to place Palestine under the administration of Great Britain as the Mandatory Power under the Mandates System adopted by the League [League of Nations]. In principle, the Mandate was meant to be in the nature of a transitory phase until Palestine attained the status of a fully independent nation, a status provisionally recognized in the League’s Covenant, but in fact the Mandate’s historical evolution did not result in the emergence of Palestine as an independent nation. … https://www.un.org/unispal/history2/origins-and-evolution-of-the-palestine-problem/part-i-1917-1947/#Origins_and_Evolution_of_the_Palestine_Problem_1917-1947_Part_I
One reason for the “principle” of an independent Palestinian state was the promise contained in the Hussein-McMahon correspondence, 1915-1916. In essence an agreement on a shared purpose to oppose the Ottoman Empire - Britain received support of Arabs and Arabs were to receive an independent state.
Arabs/Palestinians maintain the agreement was broken. The other perspective is it was never intended to include Palestine. Murky at best.
https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/husayn-mcmahon_correspondence
Good points, well stated. thanks.
This. All of it. Right ON!!!
Violence begets violence in the theatre of the oppressed whereby the victims of the German Holocaust perpetuate the same cruel vindictive policies of genocide and justify ethnic cleansing to protect their interests of the state. It was George Santanyana who warned everyone that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
The farcical two-state proposal for a separate but unequal Palestinian state alongside Israel never had a chance to materialise so long as the United States controlled the purse strings and diplomatic policies of the United Nations. For three quarters of a century the economic prowess and military might of the United States single handedly assured the external safety of the right of Israel to exist. Much to the chagrin of United States taxpayers during this era, Israel has enjoyed its favored status as a top priority in foreign expenditures that include free education and healthcare as well as superior technology that guarantees all the creature comforts to enjoy a First World lifestyle.
Much to the chagrin of the free world, Israel has devolved into a theocratic autocracy where violence and butchery have become normalised. The violent language that calls for extermination and destruction in terms of collective punishment echo the same sentiment of the Fuhrer of the German Third Reich. It is hypocritical, albeit diabolical, to advocate for total destruction of Palestinians and then claim a separate Palestinian homeland will solve the issue. The governing authorities in Israel operate a collective punishment policy that sees all Palestinians as members of Hamas. Nothing will stop the current Israeli leadership from enacting collective punishment of Palestinians as a national policy so long as hardliners inside and outside the country justify it in terms of defending the right of Israel to exist.
Other nations in the Near East, such as Jordan, have no obligation to assure the safety of Israel which has continuously violated the terms of the 1967 cease fire agreement. I point to Jordan in particular because it's one the destinations for displaced Palestinians that also has territorial claims to Jerusalem and the West Bank.
As for creating a contiguous Palestinian nation, that's not a number one priority for Anthony Blinken or anyone else in the Biden Administration. Suffice it to say based on his family history and personal politics, Anthony Blinken will never entertain the idea of giving Palestinians any right to return or even building their own nation state.
Dear Blueberry Muffin, Please see my response to Selena Sellers above. Your response was directed to what I wrote, so you may be interested. If the three of us have such different priorities in how we view this most recent war, imagine all the viewpoints and priorities of those directly involved. For all our sakes and the generations to follow, I hope peace is reached soon. Best. Susan
Neither Anthony Blinken nor Bibi Netanyahu desire Peace in our time. To them defining a new world order represents a zero-sum game where the winners control the resources and rewrite the historical narrative. Diplomacy absolutely means nothing to leaders who believe that might makes right in their chess game of Realpoltik. Empires rise as empires fall because those who live by the sword shall die by the sword.