The unbelievable footage of a fighter pilot shot down over Kuwait; in a bright and cheery mood as locals approach her there in that dust bowl. They thank her for what she’s doing, and offer her help (thank goodness she didn’t land in Minneapolis).
Nellie Bowles (The Free Press)
If you’re worried that Iran will morph into a never-ending war, CNN reported Thursday that “Iranian intelligence has sent word to the United States it could be prepared to open talks on how to end the war – conveyed through a third country to the CIA – but US officials say there are no negotiations underway.” On Friday, Newsweek wrote that “the opening phase of the campaign appeared more precise than some worst-case predictions, there has been no global financial shock, and most Western allies have avoided openly confronting the United States.”
Which is to report that what’s streaming on social media (amazing footage of Iran’s war-making assets being destroyed by Israel and the U.S.) is what is real, and what’s been opined in the New York Times (“Trump does not have a clear end game”) and Washington Post (“dangerous rise of decapitation warfare”) is just outsider opinion. Seriously, their “anonymous sources” are no closer to the situation than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who couldn’t spell “Iran” if you spotted her the “I” and “N” (mean but, after Munich, accurate).
With Azerbaijan, Kurds, and Pakistan amassing military forces along Iran’s borders, nobody knows where this war is headed. Less uncertain is what we know about America’s allies, enemies, and opposition party, because their behavior has been eye-opening.
Every single time you test an alliance you never test it when things are easy – you test it when it’s hard. If they are your ally and they are an indispensable cornerstone for your security – you had better show up.
Tony Blair (former British PM)
Facing the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth I asserted, “I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king of England.” Anticipating the Nazi blitzkrieg, Churchill proclaimed, “We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be.” Fearing Iranian retaliation, Kier Starmer bleated, “The United Kingdom played no role in these strikes.” America deserves Edmond Ironside, William the Conqueror, or Richard the Lionheart, but it got Keir the Faintheart.
This, despite admitting to his people that “even in the United Kingdom, the Iranian regime poses a direct threat.” No joke, because four Iranian men, suspected of “assisting a foreign intelligence service,” were arrested by UK police on Friday in the London boroughs of Barnet, Harrow, and Watford. Police report the men were doing surveillance “to assist Iran” (source: The London Times). Later, a Times headline read: “Keir Starmer gambles that Iran war could be his finest hour” – politically, that is.
Current polls have Labour trailing Reform UK by nine percentage points (source: The BBC). PM Starmer discussed America’s plans with his national security council (NSC) shortly after Labour had suffered a historic by-election defeat to the Greens, and the NSC vetoed US attacks launching from British bases, such as Diego Garcia, with “energy secretary Ed Miliband questioning why the UK should support the US in any way” (source: The Spectator). This prompted the Times to blast Starmer: “Government short-termism shouldn’t supersede national security demands.”
The paper goes on to accuse Labour of becoming “hopelessly reactive, shallow and myopic – tomorrow’s threats are the other guy’s problem.” If that behavior reminds you of the Democrat Party, it’s because today’s liberal leaders in Anglo-America are prisoners of a political ideology that has spent forty years make-believing Western power as THE problem. Not the theocratic regime that armed Hezbollah, bombed UK and US bases, executed its own gay citizens, funded Hamas, and plotted over 20 assassinations on UK and US soil.
This self-loathing is institutional; incubated in universities, exported by political action groups, platformed by the news and entertainment industries, and resulting in governments that do not believe Western interests are worth defending. Look at the language of international law, where any accommodation is termed “principle” and every retreat is called “de-escalation.” Churchill understood something that Keir Starmer and Chuck Schumer do not: there are moments when the only answer to violence is the credible willingness to meet it.
America’s president asked Britain’s prime minister for support, only to be lectured on international law. Awful because, after Iran sent a kamikaze drone to strike a British base on Cyprus, the Times reported that NSC delay “reflects badly in the eyes of the Gulf Cooperation Council.” Especially in the UAE – home to 240,000 Brits – which told the Times, “There’s a feeling the prime minister had to be dragged” into working with the US.
A Republican president asked Democrats in Congress for DHS funds to defend the homeland, only to be called a fascist. Awful, because DHS is not just ICE agents arresting illegal immigrants. It’s CBP agents screening containers for dirty bombs in every American port. It’s TSA screening passengers and their luggage to prevent another 9-11. It’s the US Coast Guard, FEMA, and CISA (cyber-security protection). If Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries love this country – as they proclaim – then how can they not fund the defense of their homeland?
Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s principled stance in favour of an immediate cessation of hostilities, the rejection of force as a method to solve any issues surrounding Iran or arising in the Middle East, and a swift return to the path of diplomatic resolution.
The Kremlin (March 6 official statement)
Putin dissing “force as a method” and touting “diplomatic resolution” does not square with his treatment of Ukraine. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi telling Chinese citizens to leave Iran a day before the attacks, and calling for a ceasefire, is hollow rhetorical support that does not square with the security and defense clauses in the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership signed in 2021. This is an Emperor’s New Clothes moment.
China’s reluctance to intervene can be attributed to the under-performance of Chinese military systems. This includes the HQ-9B surface-to-air missile systems that Iran recently acquired (source: Times of India). As of this writing, China’s long-range air defense system has not stopped a single Israeli, American, or Arab aircraft. And, after Venezuela’s Chinese-made military defense network collapsed rapidly under U.S. electronic warfare and precision strikes, combat analysts say China has not closed the weapons-technology gap with America.
Top-tier US forces punctured China’s long-promoted “anti-stealth” narrative in Venezuela. China’s JY-27 “anti-stealth” radar did not counter America’s F-22 stealth aircraft, and Venezuela’s marine units, equipped with Chinese-made VN-16 and VN-18 amphibious armored vehicles, were quickly overwhelmed (source: Vision China Times). No joke, after Chinese-made defense systems failed in Venezuela and Iran, Xi would be nuts to further expose Beijing’s credibility as a military ally on the battlefield.
How will this war end? Hard to say for sure, but it’s opening eyes in Arabia, Europe, and Latin America to what is real… and who is reliable.
Not Russia and China, whose narrative of “military parity” with America is being debunked at an alarming rate (Russian defense systems flopped against the US military in January).
Not Democrats, whose battle cry of “defending our democracy” now seems a hollow promise.
Not Keir Starmer, whose claim of an “unshakable commitment” to his NATO allies proved to be false.
Not the Ayatollah’s boast of “death” to America and Israel, which now sounds petulant.
Sunday morning, after US-Israeli attacks on Iran’s oil depots, a CNN reporter said, “this is what Tehran is waking up to. The sky above the city is covered in thick black clouds. The rain water is black.” I have a feeling there will be only one credible narrative when spring arrives. Spoiler alert: it won’t be from the aforementioned.