180307-N-TK177-0080 HAIFA, ISRAEL (March 7, 2018) Marines assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit disembark Landing Craft, Air Cushion 85, attached to Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 4, on the beach in Israel for an exercise, March 7, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kristin M. Schuster/Released)
America should not commit itself to any new wars in the Middle East. After twenty years in Afghanistan and nearly that many in Iraq, American politicians should have learned their lessons. However, many conservatives, even those who see the obvious dangers of getting heavily involved in the war between Ukraine and Russia, are pushing for involvement in the war currently heating up in Israel. Ryan McMaken explains at Mises.org:
Surprisingly, however, many Trump supporters didn’t fall for it in the case of Ukraine. But now we’re hearing calls from MAGA country to expand US military action in the Middle East as a result of the Hamas invasion. Victor Davis Hanson—a Trump supporter and one of the most fanatical pushers of the failed US war in Iraq—demanded on Saturday that the US regime “undertake a 1973-like massive arms lift of key munitions to Israel” and should “warn Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and others in the Middle East not to intervene or else.” To include that “or else,” of course, is to commit the US to yet another series of wars. Some other Trump supporters also see an opportunity here to revive aggressive measures toward Iran. Former Trump advisor Stephen Miller wants more sanctions against Iran, and condemns the Biden Administration for being slow to pull the trigger on aggressive new measures. Anti-Trump conservatives, unsurprisingly, are using the Hamas invasion to push their own variety of international aggression as well. Mike Pence now says the Hamas attack occurred because Trump was not belligerent enough in his foreign policy. Nikki Haley clearly thinks there is never too much foreign intervention by Washington and she suggested that the Hamas attack shows Iran may attempt to attack the United States from Mexico.
The pro-Israel center-left wants in on the action as well. “United Against Nuclear Iran,” a group led by former US Senator Joseph Lieberman, calls for full-blown war against Iran, stating “We call on our government in Washington, together with Israel, and our allies around the world to launch strikes against military and intelligence targets in Iran, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites, and missile and drone bases.”
Saturday’s escalation is in many ways a godsend to advocates of the American warfare state. Hamas’s invasion provides new opportunities to convince Americans that the US needs to expand its many foreign policy commitments in the name of “democracy” or human rights. The war in Ukraine may not have captured the support of many American conservatives and Republicans, but experience suggests that such people can be far more easily whipped into a frenzy against the regime’s official Islamic enemies.
Never mind, of course, the fact that neither Hamas nor Hezbollah present any significant threat to the United States at all. In fact, Israel doesn’t face any existential threat from Hamas or Hezbollah, either. Israel has an air force with the most advanced technology. Hamas has no air force at all. Israel has one of the best-trained, best-armed militaries in the world—much of it paid for by US tax dollars. Israel, of course, has a nuclear arsenal, and probably even a nuclear triad. Moreover, even if Iran were able to acquire nuclear arms, the realities of mutually assured destruction would still apply. Israel’s nuclear delivery systems are far superior to anything Iran can hope to field.
Hamas’ Saturday invasion is likely to leave Gaza and Hamas devastated and in a far worse position than they were in on Saturday morning. By the time Israel is done with Gaza, casualties—civilian and otherwise—are likely to number in the tens of thousands. Gaza’s housing and infrastructure will be all but destroyed. The success of Hamas’ Saturday invasion doesn’t illustrate any sizable strength on the part of Hamas. The success of the invasion only suggests incompetence on the part of Israeli intelligence—in a manner reminiscent of the CIA’s abject failure on 9/11.
And yet, we’re being told that the United States must inject itself even more into this conflict and court open warfare with Iran, a country that also poses no threat to the United States.
Read more here.
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