This is the point. It’s not about principles or strategy, it’s about the acceleration of Trump and his cronies use of government as leverage for financial gain.
I have been watching coverage of the war with former intelligence officers Malcolm Nance (US) and Jacob Kaarsbo (Denmark) on Nance's Substack Podcast at Black Man Spy. The reiterated some points that Ruth Ben-Ghiat's expert guest last night said. Which is that the US can decide when to start a war, but not when it ends. Both have said that there is no plan for afterwards if they overthrow the regime, which not everyone is convinced of. Since Nance did Intel for the US military and both were in the region as agents for a long time, he can really tell you what he sees the US doing and what he thinks Iran is doing. And, all say, this is not going to be like Venezuela or the 45 minute strikes on the Iranian "Nuclear facilities."
Trump is all about holding on to power by controlling people's attention, by any means necessary. He is just an overgrown child who has been given all the toys in the world. He doesn't care about the consequences of his actions, but they are catching up to him, so he needs to create yet another distraction. The distractions get bigger because the trail of destruction he's left keeps growing.
There is no logical reason for this war; it's all emotionally driven, but too many people are afraid of this child's tantrums to say "enough, go to your room, I'm taking away all your toys!" It's a bit like Lord of the Flies. When are the adults going to show up?
Not logical if you were a responsible president of the country, but if you are a grifter, this just becomes an opportunity to control the oil ways in yet another part of the world.
I really wish European countries would give the US military the heave-ho so that they would not have such a nearby stage. I don't see Russia offering their country as a staging place for the US.
I participated in a Zoom nonviolent resistance training on Saturday. As part of the training, there was a short video of resisters standing in front of the Marriott Hotel in Minneapolis where ICE agents were staying. It was freezing, and there was snow all around. These folks sang a song urging ICE to "lay their weapons down". It was difficult to hear all the words, but I was stunned by the power of the human voice to move. I could not stop my tears. For me, that was more moving than chanting slogans. That hit the human heart, which is where freedom begins.
How schools -- those of the U.S. and internationally, too -- all stand by irrelevantly.
They don't really just stand by, though, but submit to being but dutiful customers to the standardized testing and corporate textbook packaging industries.
They could instead play meaningful roles in students learning to write essays to explore seeing "others." Especially others whom jaundiced politicians everywhere always keep reducing to convenient stereotypes only.
I also watched Ruth’s Lucid zoom yesterday with the excellent Dr. Vali Nasr. I was just blown away when I saw the headlines during the night that we, and Israel, had attacked Iran. Every point you make is well taken. Thank you.
I know, it’s deeply distressing. I just listened to Timothy Snyder with Phillips O’Brien discuss the attack on Iran and Prof. Snyder brings that right up to the 2026 and 2028 elections. We had better be prepared and very organized. Scary times.
Yes Joanna, I have the repost starred to listen too of Snyder and O'Brien. I am feeling dejavu only I am in Europe now and Germany is providing a big theater from which the US is staging its attacks. I wish they would not.
I am not happy with what the CDU has to say about it because they seem to be supporting the war, even though Merz, Macron and Starmer made a joint statement that they are not involved in the war, but seemed to disparage Iran at the same time. Really unclear. I had a professor that told us unclear speaking and writing is indicative of unclear thinking.
Malcolm Nance says that Al Jazeera is the best news coverage, but I am also trying to follow the German reporting as well. It is annoying me too much.
He and his fellow oligarchs and Eastern Orthodox priests are heavily invested in the Iranian mullahs and their sectarian demagoguery -- as much as criminal Donald is invested in all his fellow rapists of the Epstein class and their allied U.S. white supremacist ideologues.
Trump might try to keep Straits of Hormuz closed long enough that there's profit in opening Venezuela's oil fields. The MAGA really want that additional oil inside their anticipated perimeter of the western hemisphere. And it's fascinating, insightful even, that MAGA doesn't have skills and personnel to do the work themselves.
Aside: Do you remember how Trump treated Rex Tillerson during Trump's first administration? Trump cost Tillerson his $180 million retirement package and then Trump lost interest in diplomacy! Jerk. Trump should never ask Big Oil for another favor.
Trump might use a protracted war against Iran as reason not to share basic materiel with Ukraine or with European nations if Putin broadens the attack. FWIW, Trump is angry with liberal democracies which won't buy US airplanes but those nations are smart not to count on Trump when they need spare parts. Smaller nations see this and then they don't want to buy US hand-me-down airplanes. I suspect Trump Organization's armaments business is cratering.
Trump may be using the Iran War to accelerate, through a series of forced failures by human US military leaders, their replacement by MAGA species personnel. BTW, it's MAGA males who do not want any females in the military; human men are accepting of competent women.
A large occupying force on the ground in Iran might be an excuse to accelerate removing women from the Army and Marines. It might make sense to have a staggered mustering out because dumping 250,000 unemployed women into the US economy all at once could have consequences.
Trump is not interested in making lots of money except if it keeps humans from having that money. Trump has an assignment from his MAGA species -- conquer Earth.
That’s why he starts attacks at Saturdays when the stock markets are closed. He knows and uses this prior knowledge for himself and his family. Sick pedosexual traitor.
We've been there before, haven't we? Music and voice are powerful weapons against evil. We must fight back, but we must also clearly define what we are fighting for. I have been amazed by how much this regime is about projection. It almost seems as though you can tell what they are going to do next by looking at who they blame for doing the same thing.
Snyder’s right about corruption and domestic authoritarianism, but there’s a third framework: systematic institutional doctrine. The November 2025 NSS explicitly outlined this…spheres of influence, regional champions (Israel/Gulf states as enforcers), regime change as policy. This wasn’t improvised for personal gain, it was planned months in advance and documented in official strategy.
The behavioral mechanism: Venezuela got narcoterrorism pretext, Iran gets nuclear proliferation, same playbook. Maximalist demands designed to fail, negotiations as positioning theater, predetermined military action announced via social media. Trump held talks with Iran one day before strikes while assembling largest air power since 2003 Iraq. The diplomacy wasn’t meant to succeed.
What makes this constitutional collapse: Congress learned about war from TV, senators had zero briefings, one man launched operations killing Americans without authorization. The corruption and authoritarianism Snyder identifies are real, but they’re operating through machinery explicitly built for this…NSS framework normalizing executive war-making, complicit institutions, regional champions executing U.S. objectives. This war was doctrine made operational.
Yes. It has been planned for a long time, and everyone said Trump wanted Israel to strike first so he could justify going in as helping Israel, while Israel wanted Trump to strike first. Now we see the compromise, which means both sides were antsy enough to go in together.
I am in Germany, and really hope that European countries do not feel compelled to help Trump as a NATO ally. Look at the mess Bush got everyone into and Trump called them all cowards. Do you think that was him setting up to have them join him in this scenario? I hope they don't take the bait.
It is already going a regional war. Malcolm Nance says Al Jazeera is the best source for news on the war, and the US media is not going to give much good information. Here is from Al Jazeera.
Lev Parnas and Dean Blundell are discussing that Trump is the most warish president in the history of the US and that he has attacked the most countries. (and he still wants the Nobel Peace Prize). They also pointed out that this war is funding Putin's war economy and he is going to grow much more evil as oil rises to over $70 a barrel today, and it is going up and that is making Putin money.
Trump is clueless about how he has made things easier for Putin. Putin gets to do deals with Venezuela and they don't even need to go around things because their barriers are removed by Trump, and same with Iran. Putin does not need other countries when oil prices go up because he can get Trump to remove the barriers and sanctions.
Also, they point out that while they have struck Tehran in midday so that people are lying in a bloody mess, and they have not hit one single nuclear facility. NOT ONE. So, there you go. A liar is going to lie lie lie lie lie. That is what we get from Trump. I am just tired of European leaders being such rubes when dealing with Trump.
I honestly believe that releasing the Epstein files will reveal a lot more than we'd like to know about world leaders. There are many evil people out there, and evil people cover for one another because they have to. Some have no choice. Trump is evil, and he is also ruthless. He does not think clearly. He reacts to stimuli. We all have to keep our heads and keep pushing back against the Oligarchs. It's not going to be easy, but it can be done. A better world is possible.
Starmer is a Vollidiot! That means complete and total. I guess he thinks he can divert the people's attention from the Epstein Files and his own role in backing Mandelson as his ambassador to the US.
I have no faith in the European countries since they have demonstrated a complete lack of concern about the murder of tens of thousands of innocent people in Gaza by the Israeli government. The Western world order established after 1945 has been completely destroyed. The consequences of that will be horrible for everyone in the Global North.
Ron, Many European people have concern just like many US people. Germany has more muslims than the US, even though it is a much smaller country, so you can bet there is concern. I see demonstrations all the time in my city in Germany. It is the German government that is held by the balls by Israel. The official German policy is misguided but the leadership of Israel gets to determine what is antisemitism and what is not, and they have decreed that any criticism of Israel is Antisemitic, and that not supporting the Israeli leadership is antisemitic. People on the streets either buy that, or don't. I don't. I have brown skin and am it has taught me not to subscribe to official policies that don't make sense. I am currently in the process of organizing a No Kings Rally in my city in Germany, and we will be protesting not just Gaza, but also Iran and Venezuela, not just ICE.
For selfish reasons Europe cares too. For one thing, when people start fleeing Iran, they will not be fleeing to the US, they will be fleeing here. It is going to give the AfD more agency. So, of course no one who does not support the AfD wants to see a more fragile and precarious position politically from taking in more and more refugees.
My husband is furious that Germany is allowing US bases to exist here and he has seen a lot of air traffic from Germany to the area where there is now war. I feel the same way. The moment that Donald Trump threatened European sovereignty the EU should have given US bases the Heave-ho so that the theater that is provided by being located in Europe is gone. What? Russia is not going to let the US use their country as a staging ground.
I am a brown-skinned German-American and right now, the US is coming across as less caring than Europe. I am at a demonstration at least once a month, and sometimes every week, or more than once a week. There is always a contingent protesting Gaza. Germany has not been able to shut down this protesting either. I am a member of Indivisible Abroad and know there is regular protesting in France, Italy and England as well because I talk to people in those countries all the time.
This is good to hear. I'm sick in bed today, but on most days, I try to do some act of resistance out. If you are a person who cares about justice and freedom for all people, you cannot retreat. Courage is contagious, and it cannot be bought or sold. Good for you for standing up. BRAVO!!!!
The US, with its enormous military budget, has been waging war purportedly as a democracy - one dominated by the military industrial complex, the single largest user of fossil fuels - since the police action in Korea. And the Korean War still hasn't been officially ended. To my knowledge, the most militarized region of the world remains the Korean peninsula.
It does not surprise me. There are Americans who died in North Korea because being young, and not that bright, they defected to North Korea and then were used as poster boys of how North Korea was so much better than the US. I know they were beaten until they were wiling. They also had wives found for them, who were kidnapped from other countries. In any case, I was thinking if they had been stationed in Germany and defected to East Germany they would have been free once the wall came down. Not the case in North Korea, the totalitarian regime that never ends.
Add to that the right-wing "Christians" who want a conflagration in the Middle East where Jesus will come again, and they, the "righteous," will be raptured up. That is one of the scariest parts. It's those true believers that creep me out the most.
This is the fourth American war war in my lifetime begun for the wrong reasons in the wrong places. The first three utterly failed to achieve even the minimum of what it was claimed they would and cost the lives of tens of thousands of American and millions of natives of the countries where we fought them.
The first one tore this country apart. The next two, because they did not require a military draft, were fought largely in foreign shadows, ignored by most Americans except for those who lost fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, other family members, and friends.
The first one begat the greatest outpouring of anti-war sentiment since WWI, but the next two produced nothing like that.
A war that does not involve the whole people with their willing assent and sacrifice, and for a cause well defined and well understood will not accomplish its goals, but will instead exacerbate internal division, cost needless slaughter of innocents, and result only in recrimination.
On top of all that, a war begun by an amoral, utterly corrupt leader for his own personal reasons or enrichmen and/or in evocation of his own inner distortion of masculinity is the very definition of mental imbalance and of evil.
Agree. Sadly, I hold the view from lived experience that people will not rise up in mass until the event(s) threatens their livelihood, personal security, or very life. The Vietnam and Civil Rights movements reached a tipping point when young adult men feared dying in Vietnam more than idealistic claims and appeals. Civil Rights tipped when innocent children were assassinated, beaten and hosed.
A late mentor of mine, Prof. William Placher, who gave a famous anit-war commencement address, once told me that what made the difference was the real likelihood of being drafted and killed. Gemini Ai tells me that one forward unit, the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, had a 25% KIA with 5-6 wounded for every death (between '68-'71)
You put that so well. Thank you. It was a sobering reminder that this is the fourth war in my lifetime. War does not solve anything, and it destroys so much. We have a rich history of nonviolent resistance to war, but it is not widely taught. Nonviolent resistance does not make money. It requires discipline. It is strong, and it is courageous. With leaders willing to sacrifice anyone and everyone outside of their immediate orbit, perhaps nonviolent resistance is our only hope.
I’m afraid subverting democracy and enriching Trump and the other oligarchs plus the bonus of changing the subject away from Epstein files are exactly the reasons for this latest catastrophic move. Good god😞💔🇺🇸
I have never liked Netanyahu. He is not in this for the glory of Israel, but for his own enrichment. That is the world we live in now. If we want a better, safer, saner one, we need to stop the oligarchs who hide their greed and lust for power behind masks of patriotism.
Kelly, just what I’m thinking. Dire larder’s so terrified of light touching what he actually did to the young victims that he’s started this war, plus threatening Cuba.
Meanwhile, buying warehouses with our tax $$ across the USA like WWII concentration camps. We’re meant to be distracted by all this… He’s too stupid and dead inside to realize
Samani, I hadn’t seen anyone else use “dire larder” before. Whether it is your creation, or not, thank you for that. It gave me my only laugh of the day, so far!
I like that. Most of us know what evil people do. History is full of lessons. The more we can laugh, experience wonder, and embrace the wonder of this world, the more likely we are to get through this mess. "Dire larder" works. Thanks.
Greed and Corruption with a little salting of cruelty and you have the trump regime. Oh, and add a side dish of incompetence to make it complete. I doubt that I will ever see the United States that we and the world respected for decades. We weren't perfect, and not everyone liked us, but we were respected. trump claims we are more respected than ever under his regime. We are a pariah that no one trusts. Certainly not our (former) friends and allies. From a different view: what country takes away vaccines, cripples the health care system, and stops research for the sake of enriching billionaires? Would you trust such a government? I don't any more, at least not this one.
The Iran War: A war is a time when we will be told not to ask questions. But a war is actually when questions must be asked. And they must be asked in light of what we already know. The presumption created by the surrounding evidence is that this war could very well be about (1) subverting US democracy, (2) enriching the president and (3) "stopping the Epstein investigation….especially about a 13 yr old rape victim." These are presumptions, not proof….but they provide the solid lines of inquiry as we learn more about the Iran war and why it’s happening now.
I do not believe a word that comes out of this regime because they all lie, and they are proud of their lies. When my kids were in school, once in a while, they would have something called "Opposite Days." I feel like we are now living in "Opposite Days" 365 days a year.
Your scepticism is definitely justified, particularly since we've heard the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ before, and it is so timely as a distraction from rising issues over Epstein, ICE, lack of support for Ukraine, and corruption linked to the business deals of Trump and his ‘special envoy’ real estate agents. Your thoughts on the rationale tied to corruption is very credible and needs to be on the table. Thanks - brilliant.
Very briefly for now, several comments. First of all, I was obviously wrong when I commented on Steve Schmidt's Substack that I thought the Iran-threats-and-build-up by Trump were merely a bluff. Second, most importantly for the U.S., Trump, the self-syled "President of Peace" has once again clearly violated the Constitution by declaring war, in fact, without obtaining Congressional authorization for doing so. P2025/Unitary-Government (i.e., Fascism) strikes again. Third, I still believe that Trump's motivation for unleashing the whole operation, at this time, comes down to one word: "Epstein." More later.
In addition to subverting democracy (including diversion from Epstein) and corruption, I think that there may be another reason. As Trump's dementia seems to get worse, he is becoming easier to manipulate. No one (except maybe Putin) has been better at it than Bibi. Much of the bombing was done by Israel. There are reports that this has been planned for a long time, making the talks just a diversion.
I feel certain you are right. I am also grieving this morning over the 50 girls and their teachers who have allegedly died during our strike on Tehran. I lived in Tehran for four years, fifty years ago, pre the Islamic Regime. Even then it was a very crowded city with little open space, homes cheek by jowl and a growing population. And it's grown much, much larger since that time. So it's entirely expectable that innocent civilians would be killed in a strike there. Sorrowful to say that many more might die. The middle and upper-middle classes of Iran are educated enough to have rejected the current autocratic regime and it's excesses. The less enfranchised population is struggling with an extreme lack of water. Why have we not waited for the crumbling of the regime to continue? The timing of this strike stinks to high heaven.
OMG. In a part of the world where one of the most pressing human needs is for half the population, the female half, to be educated and encouraged to become full citizens our first (First!) action kills 70 girls and their teachers. For this alone, Trump should pay.
Trump and Hegseth are acting like mercenary Eric Prince. They are using the U.S. military like Prince used Blackwater, at the behest of Israel once again.
There is no doubt that the current Iranian regime is evil and led by religious fanatics, but there is no doubt that America is mimicking the same behaviour, under Trump's corrupt regime.
It is important to remember that the Iranian regime was supported and armed by the Reagan Administration and the CIA, in a deal that saw American hostages held until Carter could be defeated in the 1980 Presidential election.
It is difficult to believe American politicians, when they try to plant the flag on the moral high ground.
And just what's going to happen when body bags start coming home? So, all it takes is for one or two well targeted missiles to land at one of the US installations in the Mid East to bring dead Americans home. Then what? To be completely political about this, what happens when it's his die hard constituents sons & daughters that come home dead or grievously injured? What are they going to think about their cult leader then? Now he's broken EVERY promise he made to get re-elected. Will his constuents follow him to the grave, or more correctly will they send their loved ones to their deaths in support of their lying chief?
Time for regime change indeed, but here not just in Iran. Time for that Blue Wave 🌊🌊🌊🌊 in November, more than past time!!!!!
Americans have seen body bags before; Trump didn't even bother to go to Andrews. It's not even a news item for the Trump-controlled media. And Americans don't care or care enough.
In addition to the motivations for war that Dr. Snyder suggests -- presidential corruption and destruction of democracy -- we must remember that war will distract us from the spreading Epstein scandal, the bloated ICE secret police force, the assaults on public health and press freedom, and so many other injuries. In 2018, Steve Bannon urged MAGA to "flood the zone with s**t." The Iran war is the latest, largest wave.
Only possible silver lining for this is that it hurts Putin's supplies of drones, missiles and other tech used against Ukraine. Zelensky sees benefits. Everything else about Trump's motivations stink to high heaven.
As I read these comments, I am struck by how idiotic it is to believe war solves anything. We bemoan war without actively seeking or practicing alternatives to blowing ourselves up and further immiserating the planet. It is mind-boggling.
This is the point. It’s not about principles or strategy, it’s about the acceleration of Trump and his cronies use of government as leverage for financial gain.
I have been watching coverage of the war with former intelligence officers Malcolm Nance (US) and Jacob Kaarsbo (Denmark) on Nance's Substack Podcast at Black Man Spy. The reiterated some points that Ruth Ben-Ghiat's expert guest last night said. Which is that the US can decide when to start a war, but not when it ends. Both have said that there is no plan for afterwards if they overthrow the regime, which not everyone is convinced of. Since Nance did Intel for the US military and both were in the region as agents for a long time, he can really tell you what he sees the US doing and what he thinks Iran is doing. And, all say, this is not going to be like Venezuela or the 45 minute strikes on the Iranian "Nuclear facilities."
https://malcolmnance.substack.com/
I agree that this war is designed for multiple things.
Is this a distraction from his horrid state of the union message?
An excuse not to hold elections?
A distraction from the Epstein Files?
A means to regain his floundering support?
An excuse to crack down on those who protest this and the Trump administration?
An attempt to distract from ICE?
An attempt to lessen our support for and attention on Ukraine?
Let us hope that all of this fails.
The elections must go on.
The Epstein files must be released in full, and the people implicated should be investigated and if found guilty tried under the law.
Let his support continue to decline,
Let us continue to stand up to the administration even if we are in groups like Indivisible which he calls terrorist,
Let us continue to stand against his use of ICE, and be unwavering in our support for Ukraine,
Let us continue in our stance against Trump's Wars and attacks on other countries without our permission.
Let us prevail.
Yes, all of the above!
Trump is all about holding on to power by controlling people's attention, by any means necessary. He is just an overgrown child who has been given all the toys in the world. He doesn't care about the consequences of his actions, but they are catching up to him, so he needs to create yet another distraction. The distractions get bigger because the trail of destruction he's left keeps growing.
There is no logical reason for this war; it's all emotionally driven, but too many people are afraid of this child's tantrums to say "enough, go to your room, I'm taking away all your toys!" It's a bit like Lord of the Flies. When are the adults going to show up?
Not logical if you were a responsible president of the country, but if you are a grifter, this just becomes an opportunity to control the oil ways in yet another part of the world.
I really wish European countries would give the US military the heave-ho so that they would not have such a nearby stage. I don't see Russia offering their country as a staging place for the US.
I participated in a Zoom nonviolent resistance training on Saturday. As part of the training, there was a short video of resisters standing in front of the Marriott Hotel in Minneapolis where ICE agents were staying. It was freezing, and there was snow all around. These folks sang a song urging ICE to "lay their weapons down". It was difficult to hear all the words, but I was stunned by the power of the human voice to move. I could not stop my tears. For me, that was more moving than chanting slogans. That hit the human heart, which is where freedom begins.
One thing you leave out, Linda.
How schools -- those of the U.S. and internationally, too -- all stand by irrelevantly.
They don't really just stand by, though, but submit to being but dutiful customers to the standardized testing and corporate textbook packaging industries.
They could instead play meaningful roles in students learning to write essays to explore seeing "others." Especially others whom jaundiced politicians everywhere always keep reducing to convenient stereotypes only.
Exactly!
I also watched Ruth’s Lucid zoom yesterday with the excellent Dr. Vali Nasr. I was just blown away when I saw the headlines during the night that we, and Israel, had attacked Iran. Every point you make is well taken. Thank you.
Joanna, I was too. I then found myself glued to the news and had to go out for a walk to the store with my husband.
I know, it’s deeply distressing. I just listened to Timothy Snyder with Phillips O’Brien discuss the attack on Iran and Prof. Snyder brings that right up to the 2026 and 2028 elections. We had better be prepared and very organized. Scary times.
Yes Joanna, I have the repost starred to listen too of Snyder and O'Brien. I am feeling dejavu only I am in Europe now and Germany is providing a big theater from which the US is staging its attacks. I wish they would not.
I am not happy with what the CDU has to say about it because they seem to be supporting the war, even though Merz, Macron and Starmer made a joint statement that they are not involved in the war, but seemed to disparage Iran at the same time. Really unclear. I had a professor that told us unclear speaking and writing is indicative of unclear thinking.
Malcolm Nance says that Al Jazeera is the best news coverage, but I am also trying to follow the German reporting as well. It is annoying me too much.
https://www.aljazeera.com/
Via creation of another "emergency" which is so dire that the Congress cannot possibly be consulted.
And that elections may be suspended or canceled.
Excellent points; that’s definitely part of it.
And it must be an authoritarian government rather than a democratic government that is harder to manipulate for the Trump family's enrichment.
And a distraction as the Epstein files nip at his heels.
This is such a “Wag the Dog” moment
Isn’t it also to distract from the fact that the DOJ has purposely and illegally withheld FBI evidence of a rape victim naming Trump as her abuser?
Don't leave out Putin, Freedom to Dream.
He and his fellow oligarchs and Eastern Orthodox priests are heavily invested in the Iranian mullahs and their sectarian demagoguery -- as much as criminal Donald is invested in all his fellow rapists of the Epstein class and their allied U.S. white supremacist ideologues.
Trump might try to keep Straits of Hormuz closed long enough that there's profit in opening Venezuela's oil fields. The MAGA really want that additional oil inside their anticipated perimeter of the western hemisphere. And it's fascinating, insightful even, that MAGA doesn't have skills and personnel to do the work themselves.
Aside: Do you remember how Trump treated Rex Tillerson during Trump's first administration? Trump cost Tillerson his $180 million retirement package and then Trump lost interest in diplomacy! Jerk. Trump should never ask Big Oil for another favor.
Trump might use a protracted war against Iran as reason not to share basic materiel with Ukraine or with European nations if Putin broadens the attack. FWIW, Trump is angry with liberal democracies which won't buy US airplanes but those nations are smart not to count on Trump when they need spare parts. Smaller nations see this and then they don't want to buy US hand-me-down airplanes. I suspect Trump Organization's armaments business is cratering.
Trump may be using the Iran War to accelerate, through a series of forced failures by human US military leaders, their replacement by MAGA species personnel. BTW, it's MAGA males who do not want any females in the military; human men are accepting of competent women.
A large occupying force on the ground in Iran might be an excuse to accelerate removing women from the Army and Marines. It might make sense to have a staggered mustering out because dumping 250,000 unemployed women into the US economy all at once could have consequences.
Trump is not interested in making lots of money except if it keeps humans from having that money. Trump has an assignment from his MAGA species -- conquer Earth.
That’s why he starts attacks at Saturdays when the stock markets are closed. He knows and uses this prior knowledge for himself and his family. Sick pedosexual traitor.
Come on mothers throughout the land
Pack your boys off to old Iran
Come on fathers, and don't hesitate
To send your sons off before it's too late
And you can be the first ones in your block
To have your boy come home in a box
And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn
Next stop is old Iran
And it's five, six, seven
Open up the pearly gates
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die!
- Apologies to Country Joe and the Fish - “I Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag” - 1965
Not everyone learned the lessons of Viet Nam.
I too hope that one of the lessons we learned and have forgotten is how many need to die, or fear dying, before it's too much?
It won’t be anyone with the last name of bone spurs Trump.
The folks who get us into wars are generally not the ones who have to fight them.
Tragically.
Your excellent poem puts me in mind of Mark Twain’s “War Prayer.” It’s a bracing and profitable read in times like these.
It was written by Country Joe McDonald.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft0vkKCadgk&list=RDft0vkKCadgk&start_radio=1
We've been there before, haven't we? Music and voice are powerful weapons against evil. We must fight back, but we must also clearly define what we are fighting for. I have been amazed by how much this regime is about projection. It almost seems as though you can tell what they are going to do next by looking at who they blame for doing the same thing.
Snyder’s right about corruption and domestic authoritarianism, but there’s a third framework: systematic institutional doctrine. The November 2025 NSS explicitly outlined this…spheres of influence, regional champions (Israel/Gulf states as enforcers), regime change as policy. This wasn’t improvised for personal gain, it was planned months in advance and documented in official strategy.
The behavioral mechanism: Venezuela got narcoterrorism pretext, Iran gets nuclear proliferation, same playbook. Maximalist demands designed to fail, negotiations as positioning theater, predetermined military action announced via social media. Trump held talks with Iran one day before strikes while assembling largest air power since 2003 Iraq. The diplomacy wasn’t meant to succeed.
What makes this constitutional collapse: Congress learned about war from TV, senators had zero briefings, one man launched operations killing Americans without authorization. The corruption and authoritarianism Snyder identifies are real, but they’re operating through machinery explicitly built for this…NSS framework normalizing executive war-making, complicit institutions, regional champions executing U.S. objectives. This war was doctrine made operational.
—Johan
Yes. It has been planned for a long time, and everyone said Trump wanted Israel to strike first so he could justify going in as helping Israel, while Israel wanted Trump to strike first. Now we see the compromise, which means both sides were antsy enough to go in together.
I am in Germany, and really hope that European countries do not feel compelled to help Trump as a NATO ally. Look at the mess Bush got everyone into and Trump called them all cowards. Do you think that was him setting up to have them join him in this scenario? I hope they don't take the bait.
It is already going a regional war. Malcolm Nance says Al Jazeera is the best source for news on the war, and the US media is not going to give much good information. Here is from Al Jazeera.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/28/airspace-closed-airlines-halt-flights-as-us-israel-attack-iran-responds
As Snyder pointed out Fascist leaders need war. This is Trump fulfilling that plank of a fascist government.
As a Belgian I'd say drump is on his own here. Article 5 can only be activated when a member is attacked. Not when a member attacks.
Yes. I agree. However, I know Trump will twist it. Let us hope adult heads prevail.
I sometimes wonder whether there are any adults left anywhere.
Lev Parnas and Dean Blundell are discussing that Trump is the most warish president in the history of the US and that he has attacked the most countries. (and he still wants the Nobel Peace Prize). They also pointed out that this war is funding Putin's war economy and he is going to grow much more evil as oil rises to over $70 a barrel today, and it is going up and that is making Putin money.
Trump is clueless about how he has made things easier for Putin. Putin gets to do deals with Venezuela and they don't even need to go around things because their barriers are removed by Trump, and same with Iran. Putin does not need other countries when oil prices go up because he can get Trump to remove the barriers and sanctions.
Also, they point out that while they have struck Tehran in midday so that people are lying in a bloody mess, and they have not hit one single nuclear facility. NOT ONE. So, there you go. A liar is going to lie lie lie lie lie. That is what we get from Trump. I am just tired of European leaders being such rubes when dealing with Trump.
I honestly believe that releasing the Epstein files will reveal a lot more than we'd like to know about world leaders. There are many evil people out there, and evil people cover for one another because they have to. Some have no choice. Trump is evil, and he is also ruthless. He does not think clearly. He reacts to stimuli. We all have to keep our heads and keep pushing back against the Oligarchs. It's not going to be easy, but it can be done. A better world is possible.
According to Starmer, there are already UK planes in the air over Iran.
Starmer does what he always does, the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Like blair all over again
Starmer is a Vollidiot! That means complete and total. I guess he thinks he can divert the people's attention from the Epstein Files and his own role in backing Mandelson as his ambassador to the US.
Haaretz has been updating consistently also
Do you think they are trustworthy?
Yes - superb journalism and solid criticism of the Netanyahu regime.
I have no faith in the European countries since they have demonstrated a complete lack of concern about the murder of tens of thousands of innocent people in Gaza by the Israeli government. The Western world order established after 1945 has been completely destroyed. The consequences of that will be horrible for everyone in the Global North.
Ron, Many European people have concern just like many US people. Germany has more muslims than the US, even though it is a much smaller country, so you can bet there is concern. I see demonstrations all the time in my city in Germany. It is the German government that is held by the balls by Israel. The official German policy is misguided but the leadership of Israel gets to determine what is antisemitism and what is not, and they have decreed that any criticism of Israel is Antisemitic, and that not supporting the Israeli leadership is antisemitic. People on the streets either buy that, or don't. I don't. I have brown skin and am it has taught me not to subscribe to official policies that don't make sense. I am currently in the process of organizing a No Kings Rally in my city in Germany, and we will be protesting not just Gaza, but also Iran and Venezuela, not just ICE.
For selfish reasons Europe cares too. For one thing, when people start fleeing Iran, they will not be fleeing to the US, they will be fleeing here. It is going to give the AfD more agency. So, of course no one who does not support the AfD wants to see a more fragile and precarious position politically from taking in more and more refugees.
My husband is furious that Germany is allowing US bases to exist here and he has seen a lot of air traffic from Germany to the area where there is now war. I feel the same way. The moment that Donald Trump threatened European sovereignty the EU should have given US bases the Heave-ho so that the theater that is provided by being located in Europe is gone. What? Russia is not going to let the US use their country as a staging ground.
I am a brown-skinned German-American and right now, the US is coming across as less caring than Europe. I am at a demonstration at least once a month, and sometimes every week, or more than once a week. There is always a contingent protesting Gaza. Germany has not been able to shut down this protesting either. I am a member of Indivisible Abroad and know there is regular protesting in France, Italy and England as well because I talk to people in those countries all the time.
This is good to hear. I'm sick in bed today, but on most days, I try to do some act of resistance out. If you are a person who cares about justice and freedom for all people, you cannot retreat. Courage is contagious, and it cannot be bought or sold. Good for you for standing up. BRAVO!!!!
BRAVO to you too Susan and feel better. In Solidarity! ✌🏾
The US, with its enormous military budget, has been waging war purportedly as a democracy - one dominated by the military industrial complex, the single largest user of fossil fuels - since the police action in Korea. And the Korean War still hasn't been officially ended. To my knowledge, the most militarized region of the world remains the Korean peninsula.
It does not surprise me. There are Americans who died in North Korea because being young, and not that bright, they defected to North Korea and then were used as poster boys of how North Korea was so much better than the US. I know they were beaten until they were wiling. They also had wives found for them, who were kidnapped from other countries. In any case, I was thinking if they had been stationed in Germany and defected to East Germany they would have been free once the wall came down. Not the case in North Korea, the totalitarian regime that never ends.
Add to that the right-wing "Christians" who want a conflagration in the Middle East where Jesus will come again, and they, the "righteous," will be raptured up. That is one of the scariest parts. It's those true believers that creep me out the most.
This is the fourth American war war in my lifetime begun for the wrong reasons in the wrong places. The first three utterly failed to achieve even the minimum of what it was claimed they would and cost the lives of tens of thousands of American and millions of natives of the countries where we fought them.
The first one tore this country apart. The next two, because they did not require a military draft, were fought largely in foreign shadows, ignored by most Americans except for those who lost fathers, sons, daughters, husbands, other family members, and friends.
The first one begat the greatest outpouring of anti-war sentiment since WWI, but the next two produced nothing like that.
A war that does not involve the whole people with their willing assent and sacrifice, and for a cause well defined and well understood will not accomplish its goals, but will instead exacerbate internal division, cost needless slaughter of innocents, and result only in recrimination.
On top of all that, a war begun by an amoral, utterly corrupt leader for his own personal reasons or enrichmen and/or in evocation of his own inner distortion of masculinity is the very definition of mental imbalance and of evil.
Agree. Sadly, I hold the view from lived experience that people will not rise up in mass until the event(s) threatens their livelihood, personal security, or very life. The Vietnam and Civil Rights movements reached a tipping point when young adult men feared dying in Vietnam more than idealistic claims and appeals. Civil Rights tipped when innocent children were assassinated, beaten and hosed.
A late mentor of mine, Prof. William Placher, who gave a famous anit-war commencement address, once told me that what made the difference was the real likelihood of being drafted and killed. Gemini Ai tells me that one forward unit, the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, had a 25% KIA with 5-6 wounded for every death (between '68-'71)
You put that so well. Thank you. It was a sobering reminder that this is the fourth war in my lifetime. War does not solve anything, and it destroys so much. We have a rich history of nonviolent resistance to war, but it is not widely taught. Nonviolent resistance does not make money. It requires discipline. It is strong, and it is courageous. With leaders willing to sacrifice anyone and everyone outside of their immediate orbit, perhaps nonviolent resistance is our only hope.
I’m afraid subverting democracy and enriching Trump and the other oligarchs plus the bonus of changing the subject away from Epstein files are exactly the reasons for this latest catastrophic move. Good god😞💔🇺🇸
There’s also Netanyahu pulling strings.
Indeed he is.😞
I have never liked Netanyahu. He is not in this for the glory of Israel, but for his own enrichment. That is the world we live in now. If we want a better, safer, saner one, we need to stop the oligarchs who hide their greed and lust for power behind masks of patriotism.
Kelly, just what I’m thinking. Dire larder’s so terrified of light touching what he actually did to the young victims that he’s started this war, plus threatening Cuba.
Meanwhile, buying warehouses with our tax $$ across the USA like WWII concentration camps. We’re meant to be distracted by all this… He’s too stupid and dead inside to realize
what true intelligence and love are.
Samani, I hadn’t seen anyone else use “dire larder” before. Whether it is your creation, or not, thank you for that. It gave me my only laugh of the day, so far!
Hi Phil, thank you. Laughter now is so vital, isn’t it?
It is my name for …. the unspeakable.
It is indeed! And “dire larder” is the perfect description of he whose name I prefer NOT to mention!
I like that. Most of us know what evil people do. History is full of lessons. The more we can laugh, experience wonder, and embrace the wonder of this world, the more likely we are to get through this mess. "Dire larder" works. Thanks.
Just horrifying😞
I agree. Dead inside sums it up nicely.
Greed and Corruption with a little salting of cruelty and you have the trump regime. Oh, and add a side dish of incompetence to make it complete. I doubt that I will ever see the United States that we and the world respected for decades. We weren't perfect, and not everyone liked us, but we were respected. trump claims we are more respected than ever under his regime. We are a pariah that no one trusts. Certainly not our (former) friends and allies. From a different view: what country takes away vaccines, cripples the health care system, and stops research for the sake of enriching billionaires? Would you trust such a government? I don't any more, at least not this one.
The Iran War: A war is a time when we will be told not to ask questions. But a war is actually when questions must be asked. And they must be asked in light of what we already know. The presumption created by the surrounding evidence is that this war could very well be about (1) subverting US democracy, (2) enriching the president and (3) "stopping the Epstein investigation….especially about a 13 yr old rape victim." These are presumptions, not proof….but they provide the solid lines of inquiry as we learn more about the Iran war and why it’s happening now.
I do not believe a word that comes out of this regime because they all lie, and they are proud of their lies. When my kids were in school, once in a while, they would have something called "Opposite Days." I feel like we are now living in "Opposite Days" 365 days a year.
Your scepticism is definitely justified, particularly since we've heard the ‘weapons of mass destruction’ before, and it is so timely as a distraction from rising issues over Epstein, ICE, lack of support for Ukraine, and corruption linked to the business deals of Trump and his ‘special envoy’ real estate agents. Your thoughts on the rationale tied to corruption is very credible and needs to be on the table. Thanks - brilliant.
Very briefly for now, several comments. First of all, I was obviously wrong when I commented on Steve Schmidt's Substack that I thought the Iran-threats-and-build-up by Trump were merely a bluff. Second, most importantly for the U.S., Trump, the self-syled "President of Peace" has once again clearly violated the Constitution by declaring war, in fact, without obtaining Congressional authorization for doing so. P2025/Unitary-Government (i.e., Fascism) strikes again. Third, I still believe that Trump's motivation for unleashing the whole operation, at this time, comes down to one word: "Epstein." More later.
In addition to subverting democracy (including diversion from Epstein) and corruption, I think that there may be another reason. As Trump's dementia seems to get worse, he is becoming easier to manipulate. No one (except maybe Putin) has been better at it than Bibi. Much of the bombing was done by Israel. There are reports that this has been planned for a long time, making the talks just a diversion.
I agree. Who is advising Trump? It's so easy at this point to get his attention: give him a gift. A grand scheme to have talks this week with Iran.
Pat, give Trump a gift or a fake award.
I feel certain you are right. I am also grieving this morning over the 50 girls and their teachers who have allegedly died during our strike on Tehran. I lived in Tehran for four years, fifty years ago, pre the Islamic Regime. Even then it was a very crowded city with little open space, homes cheek by jowl and a growing population. And it's grown much, much larger since that time. So it's entirely expectable that innocent civilians would be killed in a strike there. Sorrowful to say that many more might die. The middle and upper-middle classes of Iran are educated enough to have rejected the current autocratic regime and it's excesses. The less enfranchised population is struggling with an extreme lack of water. Why have we not waited for the crumbling of the regime to continue? The timing of this strike stinks to high heaven.
Now 70 and counting
OMG. In a part of the world where one of the most pressing human needs is for half the population, the female half, to be educated and encouraged to become full citizens our first (First!) action kills 70 girls and their teachers. For this alone, Trump should pay.
Trump and Hegseth are acting like mercenary Eric Prince. They are using the U.S. military like Prince used Blackwater, at the behest of Israel once again.
There is no doubt that the current Iranian regime is evil and led by religious fanatics, but there is no doubt that America is mimicking the same behaviour, under Trump's corrupt regime.
It is important to remember that the Iranian regime was supported and armed by the Reagan Administration and the CIA, in a deal that saw American hostages held until Carter could be defeated in the 1980 Presidential election.
It is difficult to believe American politicians, when they try to plant the flag on the moral high ground.
I agree. America under this regime has no high moral ground whatsoever, here or abroad.
And just what's going to happen when body bags start coming home? So, all it takes is for one or two well targeted missiles to land at one of the US installations in the Mid East to bring dead Americans home. Then what? To be completely political about this, what happens when it's his die hard constituents sons & daughters that come home dead or grievously injured? What are they going to think about their cult leader then? Now he's broken EVERY promise he made to get re-elected. Will his constuents follow him to the grave, or more correctly will they send their loved ones to their deaths in support of their lying chief?
Time for regime change indeed, but here not just in Iran. Time for that Blue Wave 🌊🌊🌊🌊 in November, more than past time!!!!!
Body bags and costs to the US. A strike on one of those big war ships with lots of planes. The cost of war will increase the US budget deficit.
Americans have seen body bags before; Trump didn't even bother to go to Andrews. It's not even a news item for the Trump-controlled media. And Americans don't care or care enough.
Drawn out war - martial law - no midterms.
That seems to be Trump’s goal.
In addition to the motivations for war that Dr. Snyder suggests -- presidential corruption and destruction of democracy -- we must remember that war will distract us from the spreading Epstein scandal, the bloated ICE secret police force, the assaults on public health and press freedom, and so many other injuries. In 2018, Steve Bannon urged MAGA to "flood the zone with s**t." The Iran war is the latest, largest wave.
Only possible silver lining for this is that it hurts Putin's supplies of drones, missiles and other tech used against Ukraine. Zelensky sees benefits. Everything else about Trump's motivations stink to high heaven.
As I read these comments, I am struck by how idiotic it is to believe war solves anything. We bemoan war without actively seeking or practicing alternatives to blowing ourselves up and further immiserating the planet. It is mind-boggling.