Tuesday, March 27, 2018

The Daybreak at the end of a long Night

What's the difference between saying, “The daybreak at the end of a long night” and saying, “The light at the end of the tunnel”? The answer is that the intended meaning is the same. It is just that the first saying applies to naturally occurring phenomena while the second applies to artificially occurring phenomena.

Well, guess what, my friend. We neglected to look into one small addendum that is very much a part of this story. It is that unlike the natural daybreak, the light at the end of the tunnel can well be artificially produced. It can be that of a train that's coming at you full speed.

Keep that in mind while thinking of another saying which has it that the Americans will try all the bad options available to them before finally settling on the correct one. Apply those ideas to the appointment of John Bolton as National Security adviser to the President of the United States, and think of the possible ramifications of such a move in terms of the Iran nuclear deal as well as the issues that may be related to it directly or remotely.

There is no doubt that some people see Bolton's appointment as the daybreak at the end of a long night. Others see it as the flickering light of a slow and somewhat uncertain train, still at the end of the tunnel. And there are those who see it as the train that's no longer at the end of the tunnel, but one that's rushing out and rolling at the world at a supersonic speed.

How can we wrap our heads around an issue as complex as this? Well, the first thing we do is turn to the people who know more about the subject than anyone else. One such person is Wendy R. Sherman who was America's lead negotiator on the team that hammered the nuclear deal with the Iranians. Responding to the declared intention of both Trump and Bolton to nix the deal, she wrote an article under the title: “Trump and Bolton's Plan to isolate Allies and Encourage Enemies,” published on March 25, 2018 in the New York Times.

She says the deal is good, and gives the following evidence to back her claim:

“The deal was negotiated by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, coordinated by the European Union, and endorsed by a 15-to-0 vote in the United Nations Security Council”.

As to the consequences of America abrogating the Iran nuclear deal, Wendy Sherman says the following:

“First, Iran most likely will move to enrich uranium. It will increase the Revolutionary Guards' activities. This will increase American calls for military action. The march to military conflict will be hard to stop. Beyond this horror show, to destroy the deal will pound a nail into the coffin of the trans-Atlantic relationship. Trump has laid the task of 'fixing' the deal at the feet of Britain, France and Germany. He is demanding that they solve a political problem he created by campaigning against the deal. Nixing the deal won't do America much good with the rest of the world, either. Allies like South Korea, Japan and India reduced their reliance on Iranian oil in service to the negotiations that produced the deal. Sabotaging it will sour these relationships. Killing the deal will also be a blow to the negotiations with North Korea. It will give the United States international isolation. It will not isolate Iran, and will lead its allies to consider China and Russia as dependable partners. Nothing about this decision will increase American security. It will have devastating consequences”.

Now that we have the opinion of the most qualified expert on the subject, we ask the question: Can the human race––in this day and age––afford to let America go through its habitual shtick of trying all the bad options before settling on the correct one? The answer is that such a choice is no longer viable for two reasons:

First, America has diminished itself so much already it can do nothing that is seen as capricious without triggering a response from its worthy rivals; even from some of the unworthy players. Second, nothing appears more capricious in the eyes of the world than promises made during an American election campaign to placate the nationalist fires that the Jews have in their hearts for Israel. And nothing angers the world like an America that tries to fulfill those promises at the expense of someone else, if not the whole world … and doing it in response to undue Jewish pressure.

Add to this the reputation of John Bolton as being the foremost kisser of Jewish asses he considers above him, as well as the foremost kicker of everyone he considers below him, and you have a world that sees the White House as a powder keg liable to explode at any moment, and ready to take the world down with it.

It will take a herculean effort to dismantle the powder keg the White House has become. And the world wonders if Donald Trump is qualified to do this job.

Are we in to seeing and enjoying the next daybreak? Or are we in to being run-over by a runaway train?