Latest news with #neoconservatives
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - How many more useless deaths before we admit Trump was always right on Ukraine?
Two serious and literally life or death questions: Since when did trying to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people — including countless children — become something to be criticized? Conversely, when did sending hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers into the teeth of the Russian war machine with absolutely no plausible plan to win become the untouchable go-to policy of certain neoconservatives, many on the left and a fair number of editorial writers? I thought of these questions while reading two recent columns. The first is by Rich Lowry from the New York Post, titled 'Trump is getting the Ukraine-Russia war all wrong — and he's making it even harder on himself.' The other is by former diplomat Bridget Brink in the Detroit Free Press, titled 'I was U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. I resigned because of Trump's foreign policy.' There is much Lowry has written over the years that I believe to be spot on. That said, I have disagreed with much he has written about Ukraine since the start of the war — his latest column included. Some believe Lowry to be a megaphone for the neocon class, which always seems to be advocating for the U.S. military to engage in 'forever wars.' Lowry was also the former editor of National Review, a magazine that in March 2016 ran an editorial titled 'Never Trump' and that seemed to become the epicenter of the 'Never Trump' movement for certain neocons and entrenched, elitist Republicans. The constant theme for those criticizing Trump's consistent stance against the Ukraine war and a much-needed ceasefire is that Putin is evil and must be defeated at all costs. Fine. If using the people of Ukraine as cheap disposable pawns to fight a proxy war against Russia and Putin has been the end game from the start, simply admit it. Don't pretend you are trying to save the people of Ukraine or that nation's infrastructure. In the lead up to the Iraq War more than 20 years ago, there were a steady stream of neocons, pundits and 'experts' advocating for that invasion to overthrow the 'evil' Saddam Hussein, who were coldly and impassionedly viewing the process as some sort of board game or sporting event, with human pawns to be played with at will. 'Experts' eagerly pushed for war who had no skin in the game. Meaning they were not in the military, they would not be walking point in the coming combat, nor would any of their relatives or friends. How wise or 'courageous' is it to call for a war from luxurious offices thousands of miles from the pending horror? And what was the end result of that 'justified' war? Approximately 4,500 American soldiers killed; 32,000 wounded; between 100,000 and 400,000 Iraqi deaths, depending upon the study; and a Middle East that is still destabilized, spawning endless pockets of terrorism. Next, we have the column from Bridget Brink, a former professional diplomat who, to some, seems to be virtue signaling her disgust of Trump to the far-left echo chamber of Trump haters. That is most certainly her right. In her column, she describes what Putin and Russia have done in Ukraine as 'pure evil.' She further states that: 'Peace at any price is not peace at all — it is appeasement.' Okay. And just what is her plan for Ukraine to 'win' the war against the 'evil' Putin and Russia? As Trump has asked from day one, how many more lives must be sacrificed before enough is enough? The Pentagon and CIA have estimated that well over 1 million people have been killed or wounded in the war, with much of Ukraine's infrastructure turned into rubble. Since day one, President Trump has been calling for an end to this war. He has done so for two incredibly important reasons. First, to stop the senseless slaughter of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers as well as Ukrainian civilians. Next, to warn of the many tripwires littering the battlefield, which could be stepped on and trigger World War III — leading to the deaths of millions. Last week on Truth Social, the president posted in all caps, 'I WILL BE SPEAKING, BY TELEPHONE, TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN OF RUSSIA ON MONDAY, AT 10:00 A.M. THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE 'BLOODBATH' THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK…I WILL THEN BE SPEAKING TO PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY OF UKRAINE AND THEN, WITH…VARIOUS MEMBERS OF NATO. HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY, A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE, AND THIS VERY VIOLENT WAR, A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, WILL END. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!' Speaking of a ceasefire, last December I wrote a piece for this site titled, 'Were 750,000 additional lives wasted in Ukraine for less than nothing?' That number was extrapolated from a ceasefire reportedly offered to Putin now over 36 months ago, which was also reportedly 'scuttled' and 'sabotaged' by forces within the administrations of President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Now, three years later, to Trump's point, 'more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers' are being killed per week. For what? How many dead or wounded before those advocating that Ukraine fight to the last Ukrainian admit that an immediate ceasefire is the right and humane solution — and has always been? Haters are going to hate, but if Trump had been listened to three years ago, 1 million people would not have been killed or wounded. What is the worth of those lost and maimed lives? Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Jazeera
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Five key takeaways from US President Donald Trump's Middle East trip
Washington, DC – Three days, three countries, hundreds of billions of dollars in investments and a geopolitical shift in the United States's approach to the region: Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East has been eventful. This week, the United States president visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in the first planned trip of his second presidency, after attending Pope Francis's funeral last month. Trump was visibly gleeful throughout the trip as he secured investments, criticised domestic political rivals and heaped praise on Gulf leaders. The word 'historic' was used more than a few times by US officials to describe the visits. With Trump returning to the White House, here are five key takeaways from his trip: Addressing an investment summit in Riyadh, Trump promoted a realist approach to the Middle East — one in which the US does not intervene in the affairs of other countries. He took a swipe at neoconservatives who oversaw the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as he lauded Gulf leaders for developing the region. 'This great transformation has not come from Western intervention or flying people in beautiful planes, giving you lectures on how to live and how to govern your own affairs,' he said. 'The gleaming marbles of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons or liberal nonprofits like those who spent trillions and trillions of dollars failing to develop Kabul, Baghdad, so many other cities.' Trump built his political brand with his 'America First' slogan, calling for the US to focus on its own issues instead of helping — or bombing — foreign countries. But his words at the investment summit marked a stern rebuke of the neo-cons who dominated Trump's Republican Party a decade ago. 'In the end, the so-called nation-builders wrecked far more nations than they built, and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves,' Trump said. It is rare for US presidents to travel to the Middle East and not visit Israel, but Trump omitted the US ally from his itinerary as he toured the region. Skipping Israel was seen as a reflection of the deteriorating ties between the US administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This week's trip also came in the context of several moves perceived as evidence of the US marginalising Israel. The US has continued to hold talks with Israel's rival Iran, announced a ceasefire with the Houthis in Yemen, and conducted unilateral negotiations to release Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, a US citizen, from Hamas captivity. Moreover, while touring the Gulf, Trump did not use his remarks to prioritise the establishment of formal diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which had been a top goal during his first term. It remains unclear how Trump's decisions will affect the 'special relationship' between the two allies, but experts say it is becoming increasingly apparent that the US no longer views the Middle East solely through the lens of Israel. 'Is it a tactical problem for Netanyahu and the entire pro-Israel lobby? I think it is,' Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University, said of Trump's shift. 'It does throw a wrench in the machinery because it is a president who is showing openly daylight with Israeli decision-making, and not just in rhetoric, but acting on it — leaving Israel out of the process.' With that chasm emerging, some Palestinian rights advocates had hoped that the US president's trip to the region would see Washington pursue a deal to end Israel's war on Gaza. But as Trump marvelled at the luxurious buildings in the Gulf, Israel intensified its bombardment to destroy what's left of the Palestinian territory. No ceasefire was announced, despite reports of continuing talks in Doha. And Israel appears to be pushing forward with its plan to expand its assault on Gaza as it continues to block aid for the nearly two million people in the enclave, leading to fears of famine. United Nations experts and rights groups have described the situation as a genocide. But despite preaching 'peace and prosperity' for both Israelis and Palestinians, Trump made no strong push to end the war during this week's trip. On Thursday, Trump suggested that he has not given up on the idea of depopulating Gaza and turning it over to the US — a proposal that legal experts say amounts to ethnic cleansing. 'I have concepts for Gaza that I think are very good. Make it a freedom zone,' he said. 'Let the United States get involved, and make it just a freedom zone.' In a move that surprised many observers, Trump announced from Riyadh that he will offer sanction relief to Syria, as the country emerges from a decade-plus civil war. Trump also met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and described him as a 'young, attractive guy'. A wholesale lifting of sanctions was not expected, in part because of Israel's hostility to the new authorities in Syria. Israeli officials often describe al-Sharaa, who led al-Qaeda's branch in Syria before severing ties with the group, as a 'terrorist'. But Trump said he made the decision to lift the economic penalties against Syria at the request of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 'I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,' the US president said. The White House said on Wednesday that Trump had a list of requests for al-Sharaa, including establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and deporting 'Palestinian terrorists'. Removing US sanctions, which had been imposed on the government of former President Bashar al-Assad, is likely to be a boost for the new Syrian authorities, who are grappling with an ailing economy after years of conflict. 'Lifting sanctions on Syria represents a fundamental turning point,' Ibrahim Nafi Qushji, an economist, told Al Jazeera. 'The Syrian economy will transition from interacting with developing economies to integrating with more developed ones, potentially significantly reshaping trade and investment relations.' In Saudi Arabia, Trump declared that he wants a deal with Iran — and he wants it done quickly. 'We really want them to be a successful country,' the US president said of Iran. 'We want them to be a wonderful, safe, great country, but they cannot have a nuclear weapon. This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose.' Trump warned Iran that, if it rejects his 'olive branch', he would impose a 'massive maximum pressure' against Tehran and choke off its oil exports. Notably, Trump did not threaten explicit military action against Iran, a departure from his previous rhetoric. In late March, for instance, he told NBC News, 'If they don't make a deal, there will be bombing.' Iran says it is not seeking nuclear weapons and would welcome a stringent monitoring programme of its nuclear facilities. But Israel and some hawks want the Iranian nuclear programme completely dismantled, not just scaled back. US and Iranian officials have held multiple rounds of talks this year, but Tehran says it has not received an official offer from Washington. And Trump officials have not explicitly indicated what the endgame of the talks is. US envoy Steve Witkoff said last month that Iran 'must stop and eliminate' uranium enrichment, but days earlier, he had suggested that enrichment should be brought down to civilian energy levels. Several Gulf countries, including the three that Trump visited this week, have welcomed the nuclear negotiations, as relations between Iran and its Arab neighbours have grown more stable in recent years. Before entering politics, Trump was a real estate mogul who played up his celebrity persona as a mega-rich dealmaker. He appears to have brought that business mindset to the White House. While in the wealthy Gulf region, Trump was in his element. He announced deals that would see Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE buy US arms and invest in American firms. According to the White House, Trump secured a total of $2 trillion in investments from the Middle East during the trip. And his administration is framing the deals as a major political and economic victory for Trump. 'While it took President Biden nearly four years to secure $1 trillion in investments, President Trump achieved this in his first month, with additional investment commitments continuing to roll in,' the White House said. 'President Trump is accelerating investment in America and securing fair trade deals around the world, paving the way for a new Golden Age of lasting prosperity for generations to come.'
