You're not copeing with our responses?
Starting to waffle while looking for a direction of escape as your eyes move from side to side wishing you were at the tennis instead.

If the Iranian regime won’t fall soon and won’t end its regional ambitions, including the destruction of Israel, then what remains is to weaken it as much as possible. This goal is being achieved.

The US has a different strategic calculus. It is possible that at a certain point in coming weeks the Trump administration will choose to conclude its campaign somewhere short of the destruction of the regime. The impact of events on gas and oil prices, the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, along with the probably unachievable stated goal of “unconditional surrender”, mean that at a certain point the administration may declare itself satisfied and cease further action.

A “Venezuela type” solution, which may have been what the administration was hoping for, is extremely unlikely to emerge. The Islamic regime in Iran will survive or it will be destroyed. But the prospect of it producing a pliant, Delcy Rodriguez-type leader is close to non-existent. New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is no less and maybe more of a rigid ideologue than was his father.

Should the US choose to walk away rather than up the ante by forcing open the strait, the regime is likely to paint its defiance as victory. All sides will assume another round will come.

From Israel’s point of view, a situation where the Iranian regime suffers massive damage but survives, while Israel avoids serious harm to its civilians or its armed forces, is, though not optimal, within the range of acceptable possible outcomes.

Tehran’s decision to strike at the Gulf countries and even at Azerbaijan in this round of the conflict is likely to prove an additional net positive for Israel. It will once more draw the lines separating Iran and its allies from other regional states in the most stark ways. Israel gains from regional perceptions that Iran is a dangerous, threatening and out-of-control regime. This raises the value of closeness to Israel as an enemy state to Iran with high military capacities.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/calculus-for-israel-is-different-jewis...

(NOT paywalled this weekend.)

Daves2017 wrote Today at 4:40pm:



Moses will split Ayers Rock to fill central Australia with fresh water.

Sir Spot of Borg wrote Today at 12:09am:


A deeply anti-Islamist post....

BTW - a mysterious insider at the White House, known as El Trumpo, said today that if Iran bLocked the Strait of Hormuz, their terminal for exporting their oil will be smoke...

The Old Ayatollah made his rules - his way or the jihad way .... Jasin aside - Islamism has declared war on the earth, and is pursuing its caliphate by Allah's orders... they see no problem with that and every little setback is only to test their will...  like Hitler in his bunker at the downfall, they just keep dreaming up imaginary divisions...

Daves2017 wrote Today at 4:40pm:



The Jews were offered half of Madagascar before and after WW2
and they always declined -
they wanted only the holy lands.

The Anglo-Saxons own Germany?

In 70 CE, Roman forces led by Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian, captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple containing the Most Holy chamber.