I was listening to The Enforcer bros on Youtube (the best place for breaking war coverage) the other day and they were making a strong case for aiding Ukraine as much as we aid Israel.
I am biased here because of my strong emotional attachment to Israel but I’ll try to rise above my tribal bias for a minute.
I recognize a strong case for America not subsidizing either Ukraine or Israel.
If we do tilt towards Israel, I recognize this thinking in that favor:
* Israel is winning, Ukraine is losing.
* Ukraine cannot win. Israel can win.
* America has more strategic interests in the Middle East than it does in Ukraine.
I favor American withdrawal from Ukraine. I favor an end to American subsidies to Israel. I want an American foreign policy based on American interests. America’s greatest rival is China. I stand with Elbridge Colby’s analysis of the world.
My emotions are 100% with Israel and America’s attack on Iran. My brain does not have an opinion about whether or not that was wise.
My emotions want to see Iran humiliated as Iran is responsible for the deaths of over a thousand Americans.
Gemini says:
It’s been stated that Iran has been responsible for the deaths of over a thousand Americans.
The U.S. Department of Defense assessed that at least 603 U.S. personnel deaths in Iraq (2003-2011) were the result of Iran-backed militants. These deaths were attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and proxies it sponsored, according to Military Times. The casualties resulted from various attacks including explosively formed penetrators (EFP), improvised explosive devices (IED), and other attacks in Iraq.
Some sources also connect Iran to the deaths of Americans in other attacks carried out by groups it supports, including in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, according to the American Jewish Committee. For example, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing, which killed 19 American airmen, was attributed to Hezbollah al-Hejaz, a group with strong ties to Iran, according to the American Jewish Committee.
In more recent years, Iran-backed groups have carried out numerous attacks targeting U.S. military personnel in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. This includes attacks that resulted in the deaths of American personnel, such as a March 2023 drone strike in Syria killing an American contractor and a January 2024 drone strike in Jordan killing three American soldiers.
I’d like to see the US and Russia unite against China. Iran has no strong allies. Neither Russia nor China are lifting a finger to help Iran right now. We’re not increasing the risks of war with Russia or China by bombing Iran, but by helping Ukraine hurt Russia, we are increasing the odds of a catastrophic war with Russia. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze in Ukraine. The juice might be worth the squeeze with Israel, the top dog in the Middle East.
Compared to the instincts of Trump and MAGA, I put greater value of alliances. I want to see the US work with its allies to restrict China. I want American trade policy to aid in this alliance. I wish Trump wouldn’t needlessly antagonize our allies, but I respect the tough truths he’s giving them about stepping up their defense spending, and that America is ending their abuse of trade policies to take advantage of America.
