Recently in the American Empire…
Risk of Middle East conflict expanding and conflating continues to grow
Israel’s retaliation for the terrorist attacks of October 7th 2023 continues to expand, with Prime Minister Netanyahu vowing to respond to attacks from “seven theatres” (Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and Iraq). Israel immediately followed through on this threat with a drone strike in Beirut on January 2nd 2024, which killed four including senior Hamas commander Saleh Al-Arouri, and injured 11 others. The strike was condemned by Lebanon’s Prime Minister, who accused Israel of trying to drag Lebanon “into a new phase of the war.” Questions must be asked as to why Israel is able to take such care to organise a precision strike for the targeted assassination of Al-Arouri, yet takes far less care in Gaza, content to kill Palestinian civilians indiscriminately and raze entire towns and cities to the ground. Tensions in the region continue to grow by the day. On January 3rd 2024, multiple blasts killed over 100 people and injured over 170 more at a ceremony marking the 4th anniversary of the US assassination of Iranian general Qassen Suleimani. Suleimani was commander of the Quds Force and one of the most powerful men in the Middle East. Iranian officials labelled the bombings as acts of terrorism, and Islamic State has now claimed responsibility for the atrocity. Attacks on international shipping by Iranian backed Houthi rebels risk drawing other foreign powers into the widening conflict as they act to defend their interests. The US navy is actively engaging Houthi ships and drones, and the UK has declared that it is considering launching airstrikes on Houthi positions to prevent further attacks in the Red Sea. International trade is already being impacted by the violence, with over 125 ships rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope, because the Suez Canal is deemed too dangerous to navigate. It is not with hyperbole that parallels are drawn to the events that led to the outbreak of WWI, with a cascading domino effect of action and reaction potentially leading to a far wider conflict. Cool heads are needed, but it seems that unfortunately they are currently in short supply. Election 2024: Is a Biden v Trump contest inevitable?
Maine has followed the precedent set by Colorado by banning Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican Presidential primaries, citing section 3 of the 14th amendment, which prohibits those who “incite insurrection” from holding office. Trump has appealed both decision and, with many other states in the process of similar actions, the decision will likely end up at the Supreme Court. The issue is not simple, as Trump’s actions can be justifiably labelled as incitement to insurrection. Furthermore, his actions in applying pressure to officials in Georgia to falsify their election results, and VP Mike Pence to use powers he did not possess to completely overturn the results, are further indications of Trump’s desire to remain in power using illegal and unconstitutional methods. Critics of the Colorado and Maine judgements have levelled accusations of “politicising the election process” rather than letting the people decide, whilst others have warned about the dangers of allowing one man to be seemingly above the law. The stakes could not be higher. Haley builds momentum with support from donors with deep pockets and special interests
As Trump dominates the headlines, the other candidates continue to fight in his shadow, hoping to lead the party into election if he is barred from running. Early frontrunner Ron De Santis has faded from his 2023 standing, and is now effectively level with Nikki Haley in second place with 11.4% and 11.3% of the likely vote respectively. However, both are far behind Trump who is polling at over 60% with only 2 weeks until the primaries begin in Iowa. Much of Haley’s momentum can be attributed to the support of wealthy donors who have deserted the De Santis campaign in recent months, including the conservative political network led by the Koch brothers. Once again, the issue of the corrupting influence of money in politics must be raised. Political support always comes with a price; we do not know what promises Haley has made to gain these endorsements, and if she is unsuccessful in her bid then we likely never will. Dean who?
Little known Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips has broken ranks with the democratic establishment, happy to declare publicly what many are saying privately, that Joe Biden will not win an election against Donald Trump this time around. Phillips posted on X that “[Biden’s] approvals are catering to historic lows,” and accused the DNC of “ignoring reality, deluding Democrats, suppressing competition, and handing 2024 to the GOP.” Phillips will get his chance to amplify the volume of these attacks when he debates with fellow long-shot candidate and self-help author, Marianne Williamson, on January 8th in New Hampshire, two weeks before the state’s primary. Williamson has been similarly bashful, declaring her expectations of the debate that “it will be substantive and my definition of success is that I blow it out of the park.” One thing is for certain, there will be further twists and turns before we know who will be representing each party in November.
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