[Middle East] US embassy in Israel to be moved from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem

The US have pretended to care about the peace between Israelis and the Palestinians when we are firmly on the side of the Israelis. The rest of the world don't pretend to care, they pretty much just ignore it. I doubt China or any other major power would want to wade into that mess in the future when there is nothing to gain from it.

 

It doesn't anymore, but it used to.

 

IT's kind of funny that our friends on the left keep saying that the US isn't leading anymore every time the direction they choose to go goes against what our friends on the left want. Hate to break it to you kids, but the US is still leading, even if you don't agree with the direction. I understand that you guys are upset that you aren't getting your way....but you are just going to have to learn to be big kids and deal with your disappointment instead of throwing temper tantrums.

 

I've been long critical of a Pax Americana and that US exceptionalism meant that the US should dominate the World. That said the US is the strongest and most powerful country. A sudden and precipitous decline of US power, especially if it is because of ineptness by US leadership, could be disastrous and lead to global chaos. The best way for the US to no longer be a global hegemon is to strengthen international institutions and alliances.

 

The level of nuanced knowledge displayed here in your in depth analysis deserves a bravo sir.

Such indepth insight.

 

Intervening again in middle eastern bull ****. We are siding with Israel and Saudi Arabia. A non interventionist policy would be winding down relationships instead we are siding with Israelis and the Sunnis against the Shiites (Iran).

Hopefully this is all talk and we won’t move be embassy. But yes... supporting this move means you support a continuation of our Middle East policy and all that comes with it.

That’s not the case in the Middle East.

 

You misunderstand. I'm not saying we're not the biggest guys on the block anymore. We still are. But we are pulling back from participating internationally where we would normally be the arbiter of disputes, be the leader in global efforts of change, be the critical keystone to multilateral deals in trade or mutual self-defense, etc. That's where that 'leader of the free world' stuff comes from, because we were setting policy and others would follow our lead. And this isn't a controversial thing to say. Withdrawing is what Trump said he would do. We might be 'in the lead' but we're not leading. In some areas, like on climate, the rest of the world is just going on without us; in other areas, like Mideast peace talks, there isn't anyone taking up the mantle so there is just a vacuum when the US drops the role.

 

Middle East peace is not possible now because neither side really want it, especially the Israelis, it is as simple as that. No country should really waste their time on this issue until both parties involved are willing to settle their differences.

 

I disagree that's the case though. Deciding to acknowledge an ally's capital is participating internationally, and it is being a leader. Again, your own comment shows that your beef is with the direction that they are leading, not that they are no longer leading.

You want them to show up to the Church of Climate Change and impress those around when the collection plate is passed and instead they say they are agnostic and stop going to church. You call that "no longer being a leader", but it's just leading in a direction you don't want them to go. Right now the clergy of the Church of Climate Change has nothing to worry about, but you are concerned that when the global leader expresses heresy that others will as well.

When it comes to the decision to acknowledge Israel's capital, you worry that a people who have no interest in peace will be honest about having no interest in peace which will lead to things changing.....well I hope it does. The Palestinians don't want peace with Israel, they want to conquer Israel, and no peace is possible till either they change their minds (which won't come from the status quo or as a result of pacifying them), they are removed from the area, or they are eliminated. That's just the sad truth.

Peace would occur in a day if that's what the Palestinians wanted, because it's what Israel wants. Acknowledging Jerusalem as their capital ends the dream of Palestinians conquering the rest of the city.....and that's why it upsets them. Perhaps though, the reality of the situation will sink in and they'll give up on unrealistic dreams and be more reasonable as a result of those shattered dreams?

 

By continuing to side with Israel you are perpetuating the same type of foreign policy that has made the Middle East into the region it is today.

 

To sort of come back to what we were speaking about yesterday regarding the strategy of this decision and his knowledge of the complexities of Israel



This is not a person with actual strategy in mind. His compulsive behavior is just so erratic that I think it only makes sense to people when they have to weave together all these actions with some sort of long term strategy when he really is just compulsive as hell and has tunnel vision on whatever he has to do in the moment to move from one thing to another.

 

Once again, greatest president since Lincoln, MAGA.

 

I totally believe that that might be how it's happened; doesn't preclude me from liking the result.

 

Trump wakes up everyday saying... "what can I **** up today?"

 

What do you envision will happen in the end? Say 200 years from now?

 

Nobody said you didn’t have to like it. As long as you understand where other people are coming from in their criticism.

The point of Trump doing the move yesterday was to your point. It served a purpose to politically please some folks everyone knew would love it (namely his Evangelical base) while pissing other people off that he wants to piss off(namely Muslims). There are folks that like the deal outside of Evangelicals of course like yourself but the move wasn’t done for that reason and it’s pretty obvious.

There is no long game strategy here though just so we are clear. This isn’t some master stroke chess game he’s playing here. Maybe it just ends up working out as you hope for as I do as well, but maybe it doesn’t. We just have to be clear about the facts here if we can agree to that at least.

 

Trump and his populist base hate Muslims. We have seen this countless times.

Nobody matters to the right but white folks. That is what it has become. Actually, that is what it has ALWAYS been.

 

protip - that line of faulty reasoning failed in the 2016 election, but keep trying, kid.

 

Bullshit. There is a reason most of Trump's supporters are older white men like yourself, grandpa.

texxx, you have one black friend in life so you can't be racist remember. Don't be so insecure when the truth is called out. Why hide from it? Look at the **** that comes out everyday. The policies are self-serving. Y'all got your America, back!!

 

So much wrong!

...but go on with your (lazy) racial pity party. It takes effort to think more critically. Easier to just toss the race card...