Is this A Case of Capitalism Gone Mad?

We really miss the Mighty Sparrow on this one. The US claims to be spending US$1 billion per day on a war that should not have been. In fact, it isn’t clear to Donald Trump whether it is a war or incursion; Putin might have formulated it better, for him. Incursion, or however he describes it, doesn’t matter, for there was no need for it. It was not too long ago that he convinced many of us that he had obliterated whatever structures he bombed and that it had destroyed Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon. So, what has changed? Let us not assume that was the reason for this incursion, to use his word. But clearly what motivated him keeps changing all the time. Without a shadow of a doubt Netanyahu was a driving figure to achieve, not Trump’s objective, but his own.

I see this as a case of Capitalism gone mad. That is for us; not for the architects. Weapons have to be rebuilt, and money is there to be made. One photo on Facebook drew this comment, “Look at the picture below. This is a three million dollar missile, fired from a US$200 jet that costs US$ 20,000 an hour to fly. They use it to destroy people who live on US$ 10 an hour.” What about the millions around the world who are starving or barely making it. How much longer will it take us to realise the need for reform at the UN Security Council. What is really its purpose? Once the big powers are involved and use their Veto power then nothing can happen to address the particular issue brought to its attention.

Trump’s incursion is taking longer than it was expected to. Be sure that the next target for his misadventure will be a softer one, that he might have already planned. What is of concern in this incursion is that there appears to be no follow up plan and no exit strategy. But we all look on, either clapping or jeering. There are obviously no guardrails. So the man who leads the number one military and economic power in the world feels he is in a position to do whatever he cares to; to determine who rules wherever and to name whatever he wants to, including renaming the Panama Canal and adding his name to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His partnership with Benjamin Netanyahu brings him large rewards. After all, the Jewish lobby is the largest, so some persons enter Congress not to do the peoples’ business but to satisfy the Jewish Lobby. Apart from being propped up and holding on to Trump’s base which apparently is shrinking, he seems to have cast a spell over his Republican lackeys, or yard fowls as we call them, in Congress. Look carefully at how they stare at him, glowingly, as if everything that comes from his mouth is golden. It is almost unbelievable!

In the good old days when wars or incursions were in play, we got the news through cable or radio. Today it comes to us in our bedrooms or living rooms. We did this with the January 6 incursions or protests. We saw most of it, but some mad Congress people described it as a picturesque tourist spectacle. I wonder how they see this Middle East picture. What has started as a US/Israel vs Iran misadventure is now engulfing the Gulf States. Iran is being blamed for this, but Iran has a right to defend itself against this misadventure and neighbouring countries that allowed the US to set up military bases in their countries, some of which are being used to attack Iran will have to bear the consequences.

What stands out about this war is the extent of propaganda facilitated by social media. It is difficult to know what is true and what is not. It is difficult getting news out of Israel, and one assumes that Iran’s missile attacks have done little damage, but we will eventually know. While working on this article I saw a comment from the Malaysian Prime Minister, and will like to end with it: “We can no longer accept arguments coming from Washington. When dialogue is sought with one hand while the trigger is pulled with the other, all credibility is destroyed. It is an act of hypocrisy that we can no longer digest. While the world looks toward Iran, we must not forget that Gaza continues to be crushed before our eyes. Those of us who maintain relations with the United States have a special responsibility to say: ‘enough’.” Well Said!