Latest news with #US-ally
Mint
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
The US blasts in: A forever war in Iran?
Donald Trump finally went for what is now his presidency's biggest geopolitical gamble. By his claim, US forces have 'obliterated" three of Iran's nuclear sites, Fordow included, a hill cavity that American bunker-buster bombs may or may not have had the capacity to reach. Also Read: Donald Trump's war dilemma: Should America put boots on the ground in Iran or not? A triumphant Trump threatened worse if Iran didn't yield. Tehran struck back, but only at US-ally Israel; it also played down the damage of US action, which hints of its search for an off-ramp. No reports so far have emerged of radiation leaks and it's anybody's guess how far Iran's ability to weaponize its nuclear know-how and facilities has been set back. Its resolve, though, might have hardened. Also Read: Israel-Iran conflict: War and oil could both flare out of control But then, uncertainty hangs no less heavily over whether the US and Israel will push for regime change. Either way, while the war has not yet spread across West Asia, direct US involvement in Israeli aggression marks a dangerous flashpoint in the hydrocarbon keg that this region is. Also Read: Israel-Iran conflict: Echoes of history haunt West Asia Much hinges on what 'peace" the US seeks to impose and the resistance it faces. How this pans out will complicate a fraught geopolitical puzzle. China has stayed discreet, but must be watching what this war will do to Uncle Sam's stature.
Sydney Morning Herald
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Americans have seen this movie before. Trump playing the hero doesn't fool anyone
I was six years old when 9/11 happened. From my classroom in South Carolina, I watched Flight 175 hit the South Tower of the World Trade Centre at 9.03am. For those of us who came of age during this era, it destroyed our image of America as an untouchable fortress. It's a kind of anxiety that we will always live with, that an attack can come out of nowhere at any time. Growing up under the shadow of the Iraq War, the anger felt justified at the time. Our leaders told us that we had to march into battle, and we believed them because we knew nothing else. When we found out we had been lied to and that our friends, our siblings, our neighbours had been sent to fight in a conflict that did nothing to advance our own interests – and made the world a less safe place – it set the stage for the defensive and aggrieved America we have today. Now the world sits under the nuclear sword of Damocles, with Donald Trump, a president who is nursing a bruised ego looking to make his mark on the world. In some ways, the past few days have felt like a kind of horrendous time warp back to 2003. We're heading closer towards what feels like the United States walking into another war in the Middle East. Trump's White House address to the nation after the bombing had taken place felt eerily similar to the night George W. Bush spoke from the Oval Office to announce the invasion of Iraq. Then, as now, our cause was not defending the rights of innocent people, but rather exerting a kind of needless power. But while Bush at least spoke about the illusive goal of creating a better country for Iraqis, Trump talked only of going after the 'many targets left' in Iran. Loading Things also feel different, too. The rest of the world does not appear to be lining up to follow the US into conflict. Leaders among US-ally nations have been elected on mandates that, at some level, include an expectation to establish distance from the chaos that Trump's centrifuge is spinning out. Of course, when necessary, the use of force is beneficial – especially if it is being used to defend a nation's right to self-determination. But let us not forget that the US helped resolve the Troubles in Ireland through diplomatic negotiation and played a significant role in the signing of the Oslo Accords. Then, our power was derived from our ability to bring people together and advance the common cause of global interests, leaving our military as a last resort. But no one in their right mind trusts Trump to negotiate in good faith, and now it appears that the kinetic power of the world's most powerful military is becoming a toy for a dangerous man at the helm.
The Age
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Americans have seen this movie before. Trump playing the hero doesn't fool anyone
I was six years old when 9/11 happened. From my classroom in South Carolina, I watched Flight 175 hit the South Tower of the World Trade Centre at 9.03am. For those of us who came of age during this era, it destroyed our image of America as an untouchable fortress. It's a kind of anxiety that we will always live with, that an attack can come out of nowhere at any time. Growing up under the shadow of the Iraq War, the anger felt justified at the time. Our leaders told us that we had to march into battle, and we believed them because we knew nothing else. When we found out we had been lied to and that our friends, our siblings, our neighbours had been sent to fight in a conflict that did nothing to advance our own interests – and made the world a less safe place – it set the stage for the defensive and aggrieved America we have today. Now the world sits under the nuclear sword of Damocles, with Donald Trump, a president who is nursing a bruised ego looking to make his mark on the world. In some ways, the past few days have felt like a kind of horrendous time warp back to 2003. We're heading closer towards what feels like the United States walking into another war in the Middle East. Trump's White House address to the nation after the bombing had taken place felt eerily similar to the night George W. Bush spoke from the Oval Office to announce the invasion of Iraq. Then, as now, our cause was not defending the rights of innocent people, but rather exerting a kind of needless power. But while Bush at least spoke about the illusive goal of creating a better country for Iraqis, Trump talked only of going after the 'many targets left' in Iran. Loading Things also feel different, too. The rest of the world does not appear to be lining up to follow the US into conflict. Leaders among US-ally nations have been elected on mandates that, at some level, include an expectation to establish distance from the chaos that Trump's centrifuge is spinning out. Of course, when necessary, the use of force is beneficial – especially if it is being used to defend a nation's right to self-determination. But let us not forget that the US helped resolve the Troubles in Ireland through diplomatic negotiation and played a significant role in the signing of the Oslo Accords. Then, our power was derived from our ability to bring people together and advance the common cause of global interests, leaving our military as a last resort. But no one in their right mind trusts Trump to negotiate in good faith, and now it appears that the kinetic power of the world's most powerful military is becoming a toy for a dangerous man at the helm.
Gulf Insider
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
UAE Says Arab World Has No Alternative To Trump's Gaza Plan
In an extraordinarily surprising development, the United Arab Emirates (UAE has signaled the possibility of removing all Palestinians from Gaza, in accordance with Trump's controversial Gaza plan. UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba in a fresh interview called the plan 'difficult but inevitable' and said he's sees 'no alternative' but Trump's plan to expel Gaza's population and undertake massive economic redevelopment of the Strip. He had been asked by a reporter whether the UAE is working on a separate plan, to which he responded no, there's no other plan. It was in September 2020 that the UAE announced the Trump-sponsored Abraham Accords for normalization with Israel. UAE has long been a close regional US-ally, but the ambassador's words are still deeply surprising and might actually contradict the UAE's official stance. For example, regional media just yesterday reported: The UAE, a key ally of both Israel and the United States in the Muslim world, has taken a firm stance against U.S. President Donald Trump's reported plan for Gaza. In a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan strongly rejected any attempt to displace Palestinians or deny them their 'inalienable rights.' The country's leadership has just this week called for a two-state solution. And per Reuters: It said the UAE, one of the few Arab countries that normalised relations with Israel, categorically rejected any attempt to displace the Palestinians and deny them 'inalienable rights'. It could be that in breaking from the official government position, Amb Otaiba is trying to curry favor in Washington, or else he could be signaling to the White House that the UAE is ready to jump on board the US plan if other regional governments to as well. But Arab nations have been pretty lockstep on the issue, and Jordan and Egypt in particular are not budging in terms of their vehement rejection of the Trump plan. The White House itself appears to have moved the goal posts of late: 'Right before walking away from the podium at the White House press briefing on Wednesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she had one more note to add: US President Donald Trump, she said, has tasked Arab nations to present him with a plan for the Gaza Strip,' Middle East Eye reports. Read more here: Also read: UAE's new Blue Visa: Everything you need to know about it
