THOUGHTS About The News.

Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Clear as black smokes in the sky: The Middle East is the most conflicted region on earth. The main groups in (historical) conflicts: Israel, Iran, and the United States, alongside non-state groups in the Axis of Resistance coalition. The Axis is a military coalition led by Iran that opposes Israel and Western influence. These groups fight across borders. They form networks with shared goals and support from larger countries.

      <>Israel is at war in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen, and has direct conflicts with Iran. <>Iran funds, arms, and trains a network of allied groups to expand its influence. These: Hezbollah, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the Houthis, various Iraqi and Syrian militias, and Palestinian factions, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the PFLP-General Command.

      <>The U.S. deploys military forces and strikes groups that attack its allies or troops. <>Saudi Arabia leads a coalition against Houthi forces in Yemen. Note as well that like the majority of Iran, Hezbollah and the Houthis are Shia Muslim; Hamas is Sunni. Sunni and Shia Muslims, while being in a number of disagreements, are not engaged in an all-out religious war, but localized sectarian violence and political rivalries persist in certain regions.

      Meanwhile, there’s also the anti-U.S. Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed Iraqi militias (such as Kataib Hezbollah and the Al-Nujaba movement). Also, the Islamic State (ISIS) is firmly against the U.S., as well as various Syrian opposition factions, which may have “cooled out” after the fall of the Assad regime, but this issue needs some elaboration. ☮️☮️☮️

Fox: “7 Republicans break with Trump in vote to rein in Iran war powers.” This issue confounds me a bit. I again reiterate that President Trump's hand was forced to launch a hit after the IRGC or Iran's security forces carried out mass killings of protesters after nationwide protests escalated in January of this year. Yet the U.S. sent emissaries to the Middle East before POTUS ordered a military action; it didn't work. Yet right after the Supreme Leader was taken out, the U.S. negotiated an end to hostilities. Again, that didn’t work, even after a peace plan offer that Trump's critics say massively favored Tehran.

      Anyhow, while it’s pretty clear that Iran’s hardliners intend to stay firm, Israel continues to defy Mr Trump’s call for an end to fighting. Bibi Netanyahu didn’t stop annihilating Iran’s “underlings,” especially Lebanon. So Iran keeps on retaliating, now the targets are Washington’s allies in the region.

      Meanwhile, this cloud stays over me: What if the U.S. ignored IRGC’s massacre of its own people in January, or what if Mr Trump simply hushes or tells the U.S. military to stand down as Iran continues to fire? Today’s CBS: “New photos show widespread damage at U.S. bases caused by Iranian attacks.” ☮️☮️☮️

Associated Press: “U.S. plans $2.8 billion Israel arms sale with 40,000 powerful bombs.” Whoever POTUS sits, military aid to Israel (#1 among Washington recipients) remains a truth than a fact, since the nation’s birth in 1948. For various reasons, Washington's hawks (and their corporate benefactors) favor this. Note that President Barack Obama signed a historic 10-year Memorandum of Understanding on September 14, 2016, providing Israel with $38 billion in military aid from 2019 to 2028. There you go. ☮️☮️☮️

New York Times: “In a Club of Emerging Powers, China and India Vie for Influence.” And adds: “China sees the BRICS group as a vehicle for challenging American power. India wants to keep the group broad enough to avoid choosing sides.”

      China and India are #1 and #2 in terms of global population. Hence they also lead in the area of labor force muscle. India's economic growth rate is 7.8 percent (consistently around 6 percent to 7 percent since Covid years). China, 4.3 percent (down from 6+ percent as the CCP diversified from manufacturing a decade or so ago. Still, China is world's #2 economy).

      Meanwhile, the U.S. is at 2.1 percent, although it remains as the world's #1 economy. The EU has been mired at below 1 percent for years now (currently 1.4 percent). Japan, the #3 economy is at 1.4 percent.

      Clearly, BRICS bros China and India prefer trade as their “weapon” for global supremacy, while the U.S. and Europe stick to military brawn, which worked for universal domination for centuries, until the 21st century. Europe has lost a lot of clout for years as Asia and the Middle East flourished. A prolonged relationship reliance on military aggression or wars only strengthen BRICS and other regions--as they put emphasis on trade or economics. 🇨🇳☮️🇮🇳 

Rolling Stone: “Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour due to venue threats after onstage comments.” The hip hop dude was taken out of the tour over his “Free Palestine” comments. Mr Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (a.k.a. Macklemore) wasn’t the only artist who experienced this. I believe it isn’t because the main event personality or the organizers harbor a contrary politics. Spewing partisan politics in public events turns off many fans, especially those who hush their personal ideology or simply are apolitical or “unengaged.”

      Then, many years ago, activist-artists/rockers simply ad-lib their anti-war stance and (creatively) put all their protests in their songs. Or the more committed ones did organize press conferences, but not while in a concert. You see, many fans go to see their rock idols for the music, not for the politics. Like, I am a longtime fan of Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young’s songs but I’d be disappointed to hear that the crowd is now cheering their hate-Trump angst over the rock `n roll. (Photo: Variety.) 🤨😞🤨