America and the world cannot afford to live with an Iran at nuclear threshold capacity, an Iran that encourages terrorist bands to commit mass murder and ignite an entire region—and quite possibly the world—afire
Mr. Oren is correct that "as long as Iran remains unvanquished, the next war and the next are inevitable, culminating in a nuclear showdown." I am afraid, however, that he donned rose-colored glasses when he suggested the Biden Administration "will no longer countenance a country that funds, trains, and encourages terrorist bands to commit mass murder and ignite an entire region—and quite possibly the world—afire." I would be surprised if the Biden Administration, which is coming under intense pressure in the U.S. from the hard left, continues to condone Israeli efforts to eliminate Hamas from Gaza. Absent a direct and egregious Iranian attack on the U.S., Ehud Barak's solution -- which I believe is the only long-term solution -- will never be implemented by the U.S.
That leaves only one alternative: the Israelis need to develop and implement the means to secure their own existence in the face of genocidal maniacs who are moving closer every day to achieving their aims. For years, the Israeli government has allowed -- negligently, in my view -- terrorist groups to surround the State and continually grow stronger, all while Iran moves ever closer to nuclear weapon capability. It is surprising to me that, with over 2000 years of history to prove it, the Jews still don't recognize that, ultimately, they cannot count on anyone having their back.
Walter Russell Meade recently explained the only JCPOA that makes a modicum of sense - and shows the JCPOA itself to have been a bad faith negotiation meant to mislead the American public.
According to this view, the US decided that the only thing worse than a nuclear Iran - which we believed could be deterred like North Korea - was a U.S.-Iran war. So we agreed to let them go nuclear after a “reasonable” period that would avoid it happening on President Obama’s watch, to avoid US involvement in another Middle East war.
Somehow, this reminded me of Churchill’s comment on Munich, “you had the choice between dishonor and war. You have chosen dishonor, and you shall have war.” It also put me in mind of Trotsky’s admonition, “you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”
If there is to be a war, it seems we might well be fighting a nuclear Iran. On the other hand, if the US and Israel can demolish Hezbollah while allowing the destruction of Hamas, that might be a fatal loss of Dave to the Iranian regime. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what level of Hezbollah provocation will be sufficient to make our day.
AGREE. I mused after 10/7 that if we had a real President in Washington, he would have told Netanyahu, "you take care of Hamas. We'll take care of Iran." We would then have proceeded to terminate Iran's navy, it's ports, and it's oil industry, on which China strongly relies. And since Iran's mullahs dream of a 7th Century world, I would have added utilities to help make their dreams come true. We have all the evidence we need of their complicity in 10/7. If we're truly committed to never letting a holocaust happen again, get busy.
Biden is pressured by the thousands of pro Hamas radicals banging on the fence of the White House. If he believes he'll loose support of the muslims, jeopardizing his re-election, he'll dump support for Israel. He'll follow the advice of the "Man behind the curtain" - Obama.
I have worked in Washington for decades and know many people who have worked with Biden. He will definitely NOT abandon Israel. Since he met with PM Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he has been a steadfast ally of Israel. That said, the U.S. cannot go it alone any longer in the world, no matter how much sabre-rattling I read in some of the above comments. made by "laptop commandos." Israel must have support among as many nations as possible. Only a coalition of nations determined to combat Islamic terror can ultimately end the threats to Israel.
Look at the way Obama treated Netanyahu, until the October slaughter Biden did about the same. The recent appearance of congressional staffers protesting Israel's response and demanding a cease fire show the division. Now Israel is allowing a "pause" of 3-4 hours to allow "humanitarian aid". There is little doubt where that will end up. I'm certain the pause is being done to appease those critical of Israel's response. My hope is that the intelligence services of Israel are using drones to ID potential future targets. BTW, the corespondents that accompanied the attackers on October 7th should be added to the Mossad kill list. Lastly, check out Marco Rubio's IG post today showing the letter sent by Harry Truman on dropping the atomic bomb. That's how beasts should be dealt with.
It all comes down to Obama, a dangerous antisemite who isthe head of the snake. He made out as if he cared abiut Israel but in fact, he stood at the altar of Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan, both virulent antisemites.
Why would you make a deal with a devilish terror state like Iran? Why would you hand Iran billions in cash. Obama knew what he was doing. Now the Democrat Party is infested with antisemites with Biden pretending to care about Israel. The U.S. ships are just there to signal to the Iranians that they’ll keep Israel in check. It’s their pretentious way of caring for Israel as they push for a ceasefire.
Obama was feckless when it came to foreign affairs.He was too captivated by Farrakhan and minions;enchanted by Jimmy Carter blunders,to the delight of the ayatollahs.
Can Biden find the spine to finally bring the Hammer to Iran ,once and for all??!!!!
This is a very good piece. I just finished Mr. Oren's excellent book, "Ally." I worked in Washington, D.C. for the last four decades, including at the Pentagon. Unfortunately, the first two decades of the 21st Century was witness to the two worst foreign policy decisions of America since Vietnam - Iraq and Afghanistan. The result is a drastic loss of American credibility and little stomach among Americans for any Middle East war. I wish it were not so. Biden and his team are doing a pretty good job so far but whether they can step with Dirty Harry's 45 Magnum remains to be seen.
You took the words right out of my mouth. Ambassador Oren makes a powerful argument, as usual. Israel is fortunate to have him out front with their other spokespeople at this time. Experience and wisdom. Here's our interview. https://jewdicious.substack.com/p/were-going-to-win-stick-with-us
I am also pleasantly surprised about Biden’s actions since October 7th, and his backing of Israel.
But I think he needs to do more in weeding out the radicals in his party and high institutions, who pretty much endorse Hamas and Iran, at least by ideology.
I see the endorsement of Hamas’s actions and the pro-Palestine movement as dangerous for the west, and apart from the hundreds of thousands chanting “from the river to the sea” mindlessly, there are also executives and leaders of media and high office who outright endorse this behavior, or turn a blind eye.
So yes, the US and the west need to disarm Iranian power, but we also have to weed our radical ideology that is eating us from within, especially young minds.
I never understood why sanctions are tied to nuclear capacity rather than actual terrorism. Why would (dubious) curbing of a nuclear program relieve sanctions while Iran continues to propagate terrorism globally? How does that sit with the US war on terror?
I just finished your Israel 2048 (The Rejuvenated State), which is marvelous, crisp, clear and persuasive. I am retired from the Freud Chair at Hebrew U (2007-10) but would like to help in any way with your efforts. I now live in Palo Alto but am willing to return if I can serve your efforts in some way.
“But Joe Biden has proven himself no ordinary leader. His courage in the face of domestic criticism, his willingness in an election year to defy parts of his own party, is immense. Israel and the Jewish people will always cherish him.”
Is this a joke? Biden’s weakness helped create the monster that is now Iran. A monster on the verge of having nuclear weapons at their disposal.
I also wrote, right after the 10/7 pogrom against Israel committed by Hamas terrorists, that Israel would be playing into Hamas' hands by immediately bombing. It is a key rule of warfare to never do what the enemy expects. Imagine an alternate scenario: After the massacre Israel eliminates all terrorists within its borders. Then it takes time to document the slaughter and to GRIEVE. It retains the sympathy of the world. It demands that Hamas releases the hostages. Its leaders don't make immediate, bombastic statements about destroying Hamas "once and for all." In fact, they don't say much at all, other than to release the hostages and stop bombing Israel. Meanwhile, it prepares its Army, ready to deploy. The world waits along with Israel. The onus is now on Hamas.
I realize of course that I have the luxury of making these comments from safety in America and I can't begin to imagine the grief and rage that has overwhelmed Israeli citizens. However, I still maintain that revenge is a dish most effectively served cold. Good decisions are awfully hard to make when overwhelmed by understandable and justified grief, rage, and fear.
Mr. Oren is correct that "as long as Iran remains unvanquished, the next war and the next are inevitable, culminating in a nuclear showdown." I am afraid, however, that he donned rose-colored glasses when he suggested the Biden Administration "will no longer countenance a country that funds, trains, and encourages terrorist bands to commit mass murder and ignite an entire region—and quite possibly the world—afire." I would be surprised if the Biden Administration, which is coming under intense pressure in the U.S. from the hard left, continues to condone Israeli efforts to eliminate Hamas from Gaza. Absent a direct and egregious Iranian attack on the U.S., Ehud Barak's solution -- which I believe is the only long-term solution -- will never be implemented by the U.S.
That leaves only one alternative: the Israelis need to develop and implement the means to secure their own existence in the face of genocidal maniacs who are moving closer every day to achieving their aims. For years, the Israeli government has allowed -- negligently, in my view -- terrorist groups to surround the State and continually grow stronger, all while Iran moves ever closer to nuclear weapon capability. It is surprising to me that, with over 2000 years of history to prove it, the Jews still don't recognize that, ultimately, they cannot count on anyone having their back.
Walter Russell Meade recently explained the only JCPOA that makes a modicum of sense - and shows the JCPOA itself to have been a bad faith negotiation meant to mislead the American public.
According to this view, the US decided that the only thing worse than a nuclear Iran - which we believed could be deterred like North Korea - was a U.S.-Iran war. So we agreed to let them go nuclear after a “reasonable” period that would avoid it happening on President Obama’s watch, to avoid US involvement in another Middle East war.
Somehow, this reminded me of Churchill’s comment on Munich, “you had the choice between dishonor and war. You have chosen dishonor, and you shall have war.” It also put me in mind of Trotsky’s admonition, “you may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.”
If there is to be a war, it seems we might well be fighting a nuclear Iran. On the other hand, if the US and Israel can demolish Hezbollah while allowing the destruction of Hamas, that might be a fatal loss of Dave to the Iranian regime. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what level of Hezbollah provocation will be sufficient to make our day.
AGREE. I mused after 10/7 that if we had a real President in Washington, he would have told Netanyahu, "you take care of Hamas. We'll take care of Iran." We would then have proceeded to terminate Iran's navy, it's ports, and it's oil industry, on which China strongly relies. And since Iran's mullahs dream of a 7th Century world, I would have added utilities to help make their dreams come true. We have all the evidence we need of their complicity in 10/7. If we're truly committed to never letting a holocaust happen again, get busy.
Biden is pressured by the thousands of pro Hamas radicals banging on the fence of the White House. If he believes he'll loose support of the muslims, jeopardizing his re-election, he'll dump support for Israel. He'll follow the advice of the "Man behind the curtain" - Obama.
I have worked in Washington for decades and know many people who have worked with Biden. He will definitely NOT abandon Israel. Since he met with PM Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, he has been a steadfast ally of Israel. That said, the U.S. cannot go it alone any longer in the world, no matter how much sabre-rattling I read in some of the above comments. made by "laptop commandos." Israel must have support among as many nations as possible. Only a coalition of nations determined to combat Islamic terror can ultimately end the threats to Israel.
Look at the way Obama treated Netanyahu, until the October slaughter Biden did about the same. The recent appearance of congressional staffers protesting Israel's response and demanding a cease fire show the division. Now Israel is allowing a "pause" of 3-4 hours to allow "humanitarian aid". There is little doubt where that will end up. I'm certain the pause is being done to appease those critical of Israel's response. My hope is that the intelligence services of Israel are using drones to ID potential future targets. BTW, the corespondents that accompanied the attackers on October 7th should be added to the Mossad kill list. Lastly, check out Marco Rubio's IG post today showing the letter sent by Harry Truman on dropping the atomic bomb. That's how beasts should be dealt with.
We’ll see…
It all comes down to Obama, a dangerous antisemite who isthe head of the snake. He made out as if he cared abiut Israel but in fact, he stood at the altar of Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan, both virulent antisemites.
Why would you make a deal with a devilish terror state like Iran? Why would you hand Iran billions in cash. Obama knew what he was doing. Now the Democrat Party is infested with antisemites with Biden pretending to care about Israel. The U.S. ships are just there to signal to the Iranians that they’ll keep Israel in check. It’s their pretentious way of caring for Israel as they push for a ceasefire.
Russia-Iran-China are the big winners.
Are you kidding? “The Jewish people will cherish” Joe Biden. To quote the Obama puppet himself, “Don’t.”
Obama was feckless when it came to foreign affairs.He was too captivated by Farrakhan and minions;enchanted by Jimmy Carter blunders,to the delight of the ayatollahs.
Can Biden find the spine to finally bring the Hammer to Iran ,once and for all??!!!!
This is a very good piece. I just finished Mr. Oren's excellent book, "Ally." I worked in Washington, D.C. for the last four decades, including at the Pentagon. Unfortunately, the first two decades of the 21st Century was witness to the two worst foreign policy decisions of America since Vietnam - Iraq and Afghanistan. The result is a drastic loss of American credibility and little stomach among Americans for any Middle East war. I wish it were not so. Biden and his team are doing a pretty good job so far but whether they can step with Dirty Harry's 45 Magnum remains to be seen.
You took the words right out of my mouth. Ambassador Oren makes a powerful argument, as usual. Israel is fortunate to have him out front with their other spokespeople at this time. Experience and wisdom. Here's our interview. https://jewdicious.substack.com/p/were-going-to-win-stick-with-us
You do know it’s only a matter of time before Biden caves to the progressive left regarding his support for Israel, right?
In addition, you are aware that Biden’s cancelling of Trump’s Iranian policy supercharged Iran’s anti-Israel agenda.
I am also pleasantly surprised about Biden’s actions since October 7th, and his backing of Israel.
But I think he needs to do more in weeding out the radicals in his party and high institutions, who pretty much endorse Hamas and Iran, at least by ideology.
I see the endorsement of Hamas’s actions and the pro-Palestine movement as dangerous for the west, and apart from the hundreds of thousands chanting “from the river to the sea” mindlessly, there are also executives and leaders of media and high office who outright endorse this behavior, or turn a blind eye.
So yes, the US and the west need to disarm Iranian power, but we also have to weed our radical ideology that is eating us from within, especially young minds.
What exactly has Biden done? Sure he sent out a few carriers but everyone, most importantly Iran, knows that he’ll never use them.
He’s an empty suit.
The carriers do mean something. When I said pleasantly surprised I meant that I expected him to do less lol.
But the carriers are important. They lower the chances of Hezbollah joining the war, which will make the entire situation much more fragile.
I wish Biden and the Democrats would understand the threat of Iran (and Qatar) and start taking it more seriously though.
Why is it so hard to just admit that a policy you were pursuing turned out to be wrong? Unless, you are advocating for the destruction of Israel.
I never understood why sanctions are tied to nuclear capacity rather than actual terrorism. Why would (dubious) curbing of a nuclear program relieve sanctions while Iran continues to propagate terrorism globally? How does that sit with the US war on terror?
Dear Ambassador Oren,
I just finished your Israel 2048 (The Rejuvenated State), which is marvelous, crisp, clear and persuasive. I am retired from the Freud Chair at Hebrew U (2007-10) but would like to help in any way with your efforts. I now live in Palo Alto but am willing to return if I can serve your efforts in some way.
Respectfully,
Nathan Szajnberg, MD
“But Joe Biden has proven himself no ordinary leader. His courage in the face of domestic criticism, his willingness in an election year to defy parts of his own party, is immense. Israel and the Jewish people will always cherish him.”
Is this a joke? Biden’s weakness helped create the monster that is now Iran. A monster on the verge of having nuclear weapons at their disposal.
I also wrote, right after the 10/7 pogrom against Israel committed by Hamas terrorists, that Israel would be playing into Hamas' hands by immediately bombing. It is a key rule of warfare to never do what the enemy expects. Imagine an alternate scenario: After the massacre Israel eliminates all terrorists within its borders. Then it takes time to document the slaughter and to GRIEVE. It retains the sympathy of the world. It demands that Hamas releases the hostages. Its leaders don't make immediate, bombastic statements about destroying Hamas "once and for all." In fact, they don't say much at all, other than to release the hostages and stop bombing Israel. Meanwhile, it prepares its Army, ready to deploy. The world waits along with Israel. The onus is now on Hamas.
Mourning while Hamas continues to rain down missiles? Please...
Israel will never receive the support of the majority of the world. That has been proven over a 2,000 year period.
They need to send a powerful message to the world. Let them destroy Gaza l.
I realize of course that I have the luxury of making these comments from safety in America and I can't begin to imagine the grief and rage that has overwhelmed Israeli citizens. However, I still maintain that revenge is a dish most effectively served cold. Good decisions are awfully hard to make when overwhelmed by understandable and justified grief, rage, and fear.