[9Gag] The best anti-war poster I've seen in a long, long time. No Iranian ever called me "goy". It's a reference to The Champ and his famous statement resisting yet another American foreign war, "I can't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong. No Viet Cong ever called me nigger."
The Champ was clearly a stereotypical parochial American, since it never occurred to him to ask if the Viet Cong had insulting terms for African Americans in their own language. Ditto for that silly person above, who doesn’t understand that to the Muslim fanatics of the Mullahcracy, to be an unbeliever contains all the insults they need, and so they don’t care that this particular gentleman is unable to get a date.
[InformationWarfare] Signs of an Eroding Democracy in the United States.
This analysis, titled "Signs of an Eroding Democracy," outlines ten critical indicators of democratic decline.
As we see more and more, DC Swampers, Elites and certain radical groups enjoying immunity and accountability. Plus, many have offshore hidden assets and/or funding from anti-USA sources. It does call into question what stage of decline the USA is in and can it be reversed?
[FoxNews] President's seemingly contradictory moves align with reviving the stalled India-Middle East-Europe Corridor project
President Donald Trump came back into office promising no new wars. So far, he’s kept that promise. But he’s also left much of Washington — and many of America’s allies — confused by a series of rapid, unexpected moves across the Middle East.
In just a few months, Trump has reopened backchannels with Iran, then turned around and threatened its regime with collapse. He’s kept Israel at arm’s length — skipping it on his regional tour — before signaling support once again. He lifted U.S. sanctions on Syria’s Islamist leader, a figure long treated as untouchable in Washington. And he made headlines by hosting Pakistan’s top general at the White House, even as India publicly objected.
For those watching closely, it’s been hard to pin down a clear doctrine. Critics see improvisation — sometimes even contradiction. But step back, and a pattern begins to emerge. It’s not about ideology, democracy promotion, or traditional alliances. It’s about access. Geography. Trade.
More specifically, it may be about restarting a long-stalled infrastructure project meant to bypass China — and put the United States back at the center of a strategic economic corridor stretching from India to Europe.
The project is called the India–Middle East–Europe Corridor, or IMEC. Most Americans have never heard of it. It was launched in 2023 at the G20 summit in New Delhi,
…a Biden Politburo initiative? Interesting…
as a joint initiative among the U.S., India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the European Union. Its goal? To build a modern infrastructure link connecting South Asia to Europe — without passing through Chinese territory or relying on Chinese capital.
IMEC’s vision is bold but simple: Indian goods would travel west via rail and ports through the Gulf, across Israel, and on to European markets. Along the way, the corridor would connect not just trade routes, but energy pipelines, digital cables, and logistics hubs. It would be the first serious alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative — a way for the U.S. and its partners to build influence without boots on the ground.
But before construction could begin, war broke out in Gaza.
The October 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s military response sent the region into crisis. Normalization talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel fell apart. The Red Sea became a warzone for shipping. And Gulf capital flows paused. The corridor — and the broader idea of using infrastructure to tie the region together — was quietly shelved.
That’s the backdrop for Trump’s current moves. Taken individually, they seem scattered. Taken together, they align with the logic of clearing obstacles to infrastructure. Trump may not be drawing maps in the Situation Room. But his instincts — for leverage, dealmaking and unpredictability — are removing the very roadblocks that halted IMEC in the first place.
His approach to Iran is a prime example. In April, backchannels were reopened on the nuclear front. In May, a Yemen truce was brokered — reducing attacks on Gulf shipping. In June, after Israeli strikes inside Iran, Trump escalated rhetorically, calling for Iran’s "unconditional surrender." That combination of engagement and pressure may sound erratic. But it mirrors the approach that cleared a diplomatic path with North Korea: soften the edges, then apply public pressure.
Meanwhile, Trump’s temporary distancing from Israel is harder to miss. He skipped it on his regional tour and avoided aligning with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s continued hard-line approach to Gaza. Instead, he praised Qatar — a U.S. military partner and quiet mediator in the Gaza talks — and signaled support for Gulf-led reconstruction plans. The message: if Israel refuses to engage in regional stabilization, it won’t control the map.
Trump also made the unexpected decision to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria’s new leader, President Ahmad al-Sharaa — a figure with a past in Islamist groups, now leading a transitional government backed by the UAE. Critics saw the move as legitimizing extremism. But in practice, it unlocked regional financing and access to transit corridors once blocked by U.S. policy.
Even the outreach to Pakistan — which angered India — fits a broader infrastructure lens. Pakistan borders Iran, influences Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and maintains ties with Gulf militaries. Welcoming Pakistan’s military chief was less about loyalty, and more about leverage. In corridor politics, geography often trumps alliances.
None of this means Trump has a master plan. There’s no confirmed strategy memo that links these moves to IMEC. And the region remains volatile. Iran’s internal stability is far from guaranteed. The Gaza conflict could reignite. Saudi and Qatari interests don’t always align. But there’s a growing logic underneath the diplomacy: de-escalate just enough conflict to make capital flow again — and make corridors investable.
That logic may not be ideologically pure. It certainly isn’t about spreading democracy. But it reflects a real shift in U.S. foreign policy. Call it infrastructure-first geopolitics — where trade routes, ports and pipelines matter more than treaties and summits.
To be clear, the United States isn’t the only player thinking this way. China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been advancing the same model for over a decade. Turkey, Iran and Russia are also exploring new logistics and energy corridors. But what sets IMEC apart — and what makes Trump’s recent moves notable — is that it offers an opening for the U.S. to compete without large-scale military deployments or decades-long aid packages.
Even the outreach to Pakistan — which angered India — fits a broader infrastructure lens. Pakistan borders Iran, influences Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and maintains ties with Gulf militaries.
For all his unpredictability, Trump has always had a sense for economic leverage. That may be what we’re seeing here: less a doctrine than a direction. Less about grand visions, and more about unlocking chokepoints.
There’s no guarantee it will work. The region could turn on a dime. And the corridor could remain, as it is now, a partially built concept waiting on political will. But Trump’s moves suggest he’s trying to build the conditions for it to restart — not by talking about peace, but by making peace a condition for investment.
#2
If you remove Iran’s funding and machinations in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Lebanon and other places, won’t things calm down? I don’t think that outcome requires regime change, boots on the ground or a Victoria Nuland color revolution. Turn off the money spigot and turn Iran’s attention to their own internal issues and the world is safer. They promised us a safer Libya. Let’s not follow the Lindsey Graham play book. I trust Trump.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/21/2025 9:00 Comments ||
Top||
Thirty-four minute video interview can be watched at the link or on YouTube here.
[IsraelTimes] Welcome to The Times of Israel’s newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman and host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan for a deep dive into what’s behind the news that spins the globe.
Israel has experience in attempting to stop a nuclear weapons program. Twice before striking Iran on June 13, 2025, Israel attempted to thwart two neighboring nations’ nascent nuclear programs.
This week on the Friday Focus, we’re talking about the covert surprise 1981 Operation Opera in Iraq and the 2007 Israeli airstrike on Syria, called Operation Outside the Box or Operation Orchard.
Berman fills us in on the back story of both, and weighs in on how successful they were, of course, with an eye to the current Israel-Iran war and Israel’s goal to stop Iran from reaching a nuclear bomb.
We learn how Operation Opera, also known as Operation Babylon, took place under prime minister Menachem Begin on June 7, 1981, at 16:00 when 14 fighter jets departed from Etzion (Efrat) Airport in Israel. At approximately 17:30, they struck and destroyed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq, and within about 90 seconds of bombing, they successfully completed their mission.
Berman speaks about the resultant “Begin Doctrine,” which, since 1981, guides Israel in how it reacts to imminent threats of weapons of mass destruction.
We then turn to the second preemptive strike that Israel carried out to stop the bomb in 2007, under prime minister Ehud Olmert. Ten Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-15 fighter jets, along with F-16 fighters and electronic-warfare aircraft, bombed a Syrian radar site and took over Syrian air defenses, feeding them a false picture of empty skies.
We discuss the overriding themes of both operations and compare them with what is currently happening in the Israel-Iran war.
[Townhall] President Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... on Thursday announced he is giving Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... two weeks to re-engage with negotiations about its nuclear program. This move is reportedly aimed at preventing the creation of "another Libya" if further military action results in the destruction of the Iranian regime.
Trump’s announcement came amid military hostilities between Israel and Iran. Israel has been conducting Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities over the past week to prevent the regime from acquiring nuclear capabilities.
During a presser, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recited Trump’s message in which he stated that "there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future," which means Trump "will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."
Administration insiders told The New York Post that Trump does not want to repeat the same mistakes of the B.O. regime, which took out former Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest...> in a comprehensive NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... bombing operation. Qadaffy’s subsequent death left a vacuum that various regional powers fought to fill, making the situation even worse.
The sources told The Post they heard Trump privately state that he was "worried about Iran becoming like Libya before Israel began its aerial assaulton Iran."
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... another source told the outlet that if President Trump takes military action, it will come in the form of limited airstrikes to finish destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz using "bunker buster" bombs.
"Libya was a much more extended kind of bombing commitment, and it ended up being regime change," the individual explained, further noting that if the Iranian regime is ousted, "then it’s not on Trump, because that’s not the goal of his very limited strike."
However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... there is a concern that "we get somebody worse than Khamenei."
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/21/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[121 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
Libya should have taught the Western political class about the ultimate futility of "deals."
After Bush & Blair unleashed Gaddafi by lifting the sanctions in exchange for some compensation payments, the dismantling of the nuclear program and the extradition of a Lockerbie bomber Gaddafi soon reverted to form.
Gaddafi used the cash he gained after lifting sanctions to buy cheap(!) wh***s in the Western ruling elites and resumed his thuggish aggression against Western nations, violating 'international law' with impunity.
Ultimately the point of contention was the Gaddafi regime demanding the right to wield its own government monopoly violence on the sovereign territory of Western nations.
This insane demand was made by a non-nuclear Libya which had nonetheless proven its skill at asymmetrical warfare over decades.
Chaos is still better that the stability of a mortal enemy regime.
As for 'refugees' they will flood Europe if Europe lets them in and they will have to stay out if Europe denies them entry, irrespective of what happens in the sh**hole countries they come from.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...
