Donald Trump deserves credit for grasping the nettle over Iran - Paul Andrews
The world has little to thank Donald Trump for. He is capricious and unpredictable, but in some matters this has led to him grasping nettles which should have been grasped decades ago.
The reason no action has been taken in the past is because the moment there is a suggestion that force should be used, politicians and their advisers come up against a thousand reasons for not addressing the issue. They can't see the wood for the trees.
This is not surprising, as all western democracies abhor war and aim for increased prosperity and peace. So, we avoid the sacrifices of war. The world’s great autocrats are not bound by these sensitivities. Vladimir Putin has no qualms about sacrificing the lives of half a million men on the battlefield, and will no doubt sacrifice half a million more.
Iran is governed by a cruel oligarchy of religious zealots whose primary aim is to destroy Israel and undermine western interests in neighbouring countries. They have done their best to destabilise the entire Middle East by financing terrorists and tantalised Western powers by enriching their stock of uranium. The enrichment process has taken decades, but it is now believed that they could produce enough weapons grade uranium to build an atomic bomb within months.
Historically, Islam was spread by the sword, and, although most Muslims challenge this view, some religious extremists today believe the Quran ordains the use of force to convert or destroy unbelievers. The fear seems to be that Iran’s fanatical regime could risk Armageddon, if it believes this is Allah’s will.
President Trump deserves credit for grasping this nettle. We may not like to admit it, but the nuclear threat from Iran should have been eliminated decades ago. However, like everything else Trump does, he could only see the big picture. He failed to plan against the possibility of the closure of Hormuz and assumed he had only to assert American power to achieve the collapse of the regime.
He should have known that bombs on their own could not achieve this. Hitler bombed the UK, and the bombs only strengthened our defiance. When the allies in their turn bombed Germany, the German people did not rise up against Hitler, and Hitler’s armies fought on as valiantly as before.
Trump has been constrained by his own election promises. He promised not to get the USA involved in any “new” wars. So, when Iran closed the Hormuz Strait, they knew it would be politically difficult for Trump to break the blockade militarily.
The result is a stalemate, and Iran knows that the longer this lasts, the more unpopular Trump will become and the more impatient the markets. So, they are playing the long game, ostensibly pressing ahead with negotiations, whilst making demands which no sensible USA president should be expected to accept. They are playing him and looking for a peace settlement which will humiliate him.
Trump had failed to consult his despised allies in NATO. This left us in a difficult position. Our government’s reluctance to get involved with the Iran conflict is no surprise. But this doesn’t solve the Hormuz issue – and it needs to be resolved very soon, either by negotiation, or, if this fails, militarily.
The USA and its allies cannot allow the world to be held to ransom.
Paul Andrews is a freelance writer and author. He is an honorary alderman of North Yorkshire council and a former mayor of Malton. www.paul-andrews.net