As I've noted many times in the past, it is nearly impossible to know what "truth" is, and the media is no help in finding it. Take the military action that is ongoing in Iran as an example.
T-rump gives updates, tells us how long he expects it to last (the ever changing goalpost), gives ultimatums, and the media just reports on that without probing further.
We have no idea about the rationale or the objective of the conflict, though some will give what amounts to their opinion, or repeat what T-rump says. It’s sad in a way. We should be better informed.
We're also told about relative successes, while negative news is underreported.
But, if you search outside of what we consider mainstream media, you get a different flavor of what's going on. A couple of things I thought I would share:
- There was some amount of persuasion, focused on T-rump by warmongers and other nations, to get the United States involved. He had said no in his first term, but this time agreed to an offensive action. It’s unknown why he changed his mind, but this sudden change at least partially explains the lack of a clear objective. But no matter: in the end, it was his decision. He - alone - owns it.
- One of the things he tells us is that he wants to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program. Which I find dubious. They have had the program for decades, and as they say, you can’t put a genie back in the bottle.
- Most of the middle east, and parts of Europe that are "nearby," have prohibited the US from using their airbases for any sort of offensive actions. That means that aircraft carriers are the primary launching points for sorties. However, the largest carrier (the Gerald Ford) had a fire, and had to exit the theater for major repairs (which may take a year to complete). How the fire started is the subject of some discussion. But reporting from outlets outside of the US, and even an offhand comment by T-rump, suggest that it may have been hit by an Iranian missile.
- Several tactical sites and planes used in general operations (which were at airbases in the Middle East or used in rescue operations), have been destroyed by what appear to be Iranian attacks.
- Russia is apparently helping Iran in some way. In spite of T-rumps crush on Putin.
- The strait of Hormuz is now fully controlled by Iran, and they want to keep it that way, in order to control the world's oil supply (that is to say that T-rump's actions have changed the dynamic in the gulf, and emboldened Iran to make a power move).
- Its very unclear when (or maybe if?) oil prices will go down, worldwide
- Finally, there have been some strikes that appear to violate international law, and he’s announced others that there are absolutely against the convention about targeting civilians. There is a strange report (from the person who received the call) that T-rump called a reporter and bragged about arming civilians in Iran. All of these would be considered war crimes, and should be investigated further.
And that’s just what’s top of mind. I have to say that it looks like there may be a “lasting legacy” if this keeps up.
One thing I will add is that there are those who think that we can simply use our might to obliterate Iran. I remind you that Russia had a similar plan in the Ukraine, and after years of attacks, it’s maybe not going so well.
Also, I've heard it suggested that the US will simply release its strategic oil reserves to help stabilize prices and supply. But that shows a lack of understanding about the oil reserve is. And you can’t overlook the subtext about US oil production, which is also misunderstood.
As always, we prove to be moderately uneducated and are fed misinformation along the way.
