August 11, 2018
President Trump keeps vowing to create more jobs in America. But his actions often speak differently. The most egregious example was Trump’s cancellation of the multi-national Iran nuclear treaty that had been welcomed by the world as a major step to Mideast denuclearization.
In abrogating the international treaty signed by the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, the US humiliated its allies and rivals who were strongly in favor of the accord. Iran had already handed 97% of its enriched uranium to Russia, shut down reactors and centrifuges, and allowed UN inspectors to run all over its nuclear facilities when Trump tore up the deal that had been under negotiation since 2015.
Iran has been under a harsh US-led trade embargo since its 1979 revolution that was designed to cripple its economy and military and drive the people to rebel against their government. Washington used the same tactics – without success – against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Fidel Castro’s Cuba.
So intense is the Trump administration’s hatred for Islamic Iran that it decided to scrap the multinational nuclear deal that would have meant opening Iran to western commerce and a bonanza for US and European companies. The key element of the deal was to have been the sale of some 210 commercial jet airliners to Iran by the US and the European Union, a deal worth some $40-50 billion, not counting future sales of spare parts.
The US embargo of Iran since 1979 has made it unable to modernize its commercial airline fleet. Iran was denied modern aircraft, spare parts, engines and instruments, leaving it with decaying aircraft from the 1970’s.
The grim result of the US-imposed embargo has been 17 crashes of Iranian civilian aircraft with 1500 deaths.
Most of Iran’s commercial aircraft – a grab bag of old, mostly 25-year old Boeing, Airbus, Chinese and Soviet aircraft – are flying coffins. Iran’s maintenance, training and air traffic control are substandard. Flying over and around Iran’s lofty mountains is a challenge for the best of pilots, even for a handful of newer ATR turboprop aircraft.
Washington’s denial to Iran of Boeing Aircraft (and Airbus planes because they contain US-made parts), means the loss of tens of thousands of highly-paid jobs in the US and Europe. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, claims he talked Trump into canceling the Iran nuclear deal and the Boeing orders.
It’s hard to validate Netanyahu’s claim but it is clear that America’s ever more powerful Israel lobby and its ally fundamentalist Christian Zionists played a key role in thwarting the Iran nuclear deal and sale of commercial aircraft.
We don’t yet know the full cost of lost American jobs and business to help keep Iran isolated. But one could argue that part of the $20 billion lost should be counted as part of annual US aid to Israel.
Russia and China’s aircraft industries will soon be able to deliver modern passenger aircraft to Iran and accept payment in oil. China’s C919 and ARJ21 are now nearing service. Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 will be ready soon. Trump could be cutting off his nose to spite his face.
Trump and his allies are trying to push Iran into a corner and provoke it to lash out at US forces that are poised around it. A naval clash in the Gulf is the obvious pretext for war.
While the US goes after Iran, it has opened a new anti-Muslim front against old ally Turkey by imposing heavy duties on Ankara’s exports to the US and attacking the always vulnerable Turkish lira. This, in turn, has set off a financial crisis across Europe, notably among EU banks that have large, soft loans made to Turkey.
Trump & Co. are trying to force Turkey to bend the knee and support US-Israeli-Saudi policy goals. Turkey and Iran remain the last significant supporters in the region of the Palestinians. Trump and the New York City real estate developers, and the money men who surround him, are determined to show the independent-minded Iranians and Turks who is the big boss.
Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2018
Trump has taken the term ‘Ugly American’ to a whole new level.
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The Americans have lost credibility throughout the world; I cannot imagine another political leader believing a word they utter. Through Trump’s economic actions, the potential for bringing the world into a major depression looms on the horizon. The actions will not benefit the lower income Americans who helped put Trump in office.
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The United Nations is largely at fault. This toothless tiger needs to be completely restructured to provide a strong and formidable model or eliminated. I tend to move away from elimination, because, any dialogue is better than no dialogue. It has to be restructured so that it can keep ‘cowboys’, like the Donald, in check. It has to have the authority and the wherewithal to prevent Americans from further messing with the world. Politicians are strangely silent about the ineffectiveness of the UN.
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I notice with the recent ‘tiff’ between Saudi Arabia and Canada, on human rights issues, that the UN is strangely silent. The Americans have stepped aside.
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The Americans, through their economic power, should not be able to force other countries to maintain a blockade or embargo on another nation. If necessary, this should be driven by a proper functioning UN, not the United States. Iran is in the position that Japan was in 1941, and ‘pressed against the wall’. Pearl Harbour was not the actions of a rogue nation. Japan was forced into action, just as the Americans think that Iran will do something similar.
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‘In abrogating the international treaty signed by the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, the’ US showed the rest of the world that it could not be trusted. This will be long remembered when it comes time to signing any future agreements. I’m surprised that Iran has not lodged a lawsuit for breach of contract. It’s the American way.
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The sale of aircraft will greatly benefit the Chinese and Soviets, and, harm American interests. It will open up new markets where new purchasers may be wary of trusting Americans; it will certainly enter into the consideration of new purchases by other countries. With the loss of American markets, I can see the Chinese opening new ones and, possibly, internalising their economic activities. Henry Ford’s concept of creating jobs so the ‘masses’ could buy ‘Model Ts’ really worked. The Chinese can do the same thing.
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Not content with Iran, Trump’s messing with Turkey. Time for Erdogan to withdraw from NATO, and close their airbases to domestic use only. At the same time, Canada can withdraw from NATO, too. Trump is trying to pressure Erdogan, and, I suspect strongly that Erdogan is not easily pressured. He has maintained power, while walking on eggshells, for a long time. He’s used to difficult decisions.
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As you note, Turkey and Iran are supporters of the Palestinians; this is another black eye for the current UN. A humanitarian crisis that they have simply ignored.
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America, the rogue state, must be restrained since they are not capable of doing this themselves.
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Dik
Given the long history of friendship between Persians and Jewish people; the Islamic Republic’s animosity against Israel is one of the most misunderstood aspect of the middle eastern politics which western media portray as a kind of Fanatical-Religious Antisemitism or something along that line, yet, the reality is much more pragmatic than that, it’s about foreign interference in the region that Iran certainly does not want in its neighbourhood, much less in its own internal affair, it’s all about the sovereignty of Iranians over their regional and national affairs.
Back In 1947, long before the Islamic Revolution, Iran along with 10 other UN members were assigned to the UN Special Committee on the Palestine (UNSCOP) – they were to study the partition of British Palestine; the result of which was a comprehensive proposal that was voted upon and supported by three members (India, Iran, and Yugoslavia) for a “Federal State of Palestine” not a partition, the Iranians argued then; a partition would lead to ethnic wars and more instability in the region, the Iranian view about the partition is certainly vindicated by now.
For Iran, Israel is effectively a U.S overseas territory, though this may give to israelis some peace of mind at night, but it also make them vulnerable – a legitimate target in the hostile middle east.
Iranians believe Israel has been transplanted in the region as an instrument of western interference in the post-colonial middle east; if Israel were a simple country like Lebanon, Cyprus, or Moldova, Iranian would not opposed to it, they would even helped and protected it, as they did recently for Qatar against the Saudis blockade, but Israel is de facto instrument of the Global Zionist Ambitions which is essentially a “Tribal Ideology with Global Ambitions” that has deeply infiltrated into the American power and political institutions for its own tribal interests, insofar as, that the US congress is effectively owned by dubious characters like Sheldon Adelson, or special interests groups like AIPAC and other Zionist groups from around the world.
Today, Israel is not a simple country like Moldova or Cyprus but a nuclear military power, armed to its teeth, well funded, diplomatically and militarily protected by the U.S and its allies; Israel in an instrument of western interference in the post-colonial middle east – Ironically though, Israel’s privileged relationship with the Zionist-America makes it more vulnerable, hence, a “Kosher Target” in the hostile middle east.
After the Saudi hissy fit reaction to criticism from Canada over himan rights concerns, Canada should be the first to jump in on this bandwagon… seize assets and cancel trade with Saudi Arabia… Build the Energy East Pipeline and champion the cause of ” conflict free oil ” and make up the losses by normalizing relations with Iran and getting Bombardier into that market… Planes, Food, Oilfield Equipment… even transfer that Armor Vehicle deal if they want them… and if the US questions it we can just say… weren’t the 911 guys Saudis? As for Turkey… they really should reconsider their NATO membership…
Excellent analysis. As for Netanyahu’s claim to have persuaded Trump to stop Iran’s order with Boeing and the nuclear deal with that country, I’m inclined to believe him, because his influence is both direct and indirect, via the pro-Israel lobby in Washington. As for Turkey, slamming it with much higher tariffs on its aluminum and steel exports to the US is mostly symbolic, because Turkey has negligible exports of aluminum in any case and is selling a lot more steel to Europe. But, the damage done to Turkey’s lira could well push the country toward a foreign debt default (it owes around $450 billion US to foreign banks). That, in turn, could set off a domino effect, with a number of other developing countries falling into debt default against European and other western banks. Trump’s actions with regards to Iran and Turkey are the product of a really disturbed mind and I think that the North Koreans were right to call him a “dotard”.
Perhaps this could be expanded to start a movement… around the world everyone collectively defaults and crashes the international banking system… of course it may start as a limited action against American Banks in response to Trumps trade tariffs and sanctions… but imagine if even half of the 6.29 trillion U.S. dollars owned turned around and said… No… your interference has caused both the situation in which we borrowed and the situation in which we can’t climb out of debt…. so get stuffed. I remember Argentina 2005 causing waves… but this would be a Tsunami.