Pointless Middle Eastern Wars: Lessons About Vengeance.

TLO Op-ed.

Shakespeare's Macbeth is an astonishing work of classical literature and a dramatic play that shows the reader and audience how much life can imitate art, at least in the area of human behavior. Macbeth, the main character, is told by three witches that he is destined for the throne of Scotland, after which he proceeds to kill off many of the other potential potentates. Despite his sense of guilt, as quoted above in Act 2 Scene 2 where he has killed his friend Duncan while experiencing hallucinations, he continues his evil deeds until most of Scotland is in turmoil. Towards the end of the play, Macbeth's wife commits suicide and Macbeth himself dies at the hands of his enemies. Another man is crowned King of Scotland and the country is restored. How much of this story can modern day 21st century people relate to in terms of present-day leaderships and wars?

If the Middle East wars that are currently escalating can be described in any single way, that description could be that they are wars of long-lasting vengeance. Whereas in Macbeth, witches and an overly ambitious contender for the throne of Scotland were the main issue, there in the Gulf Region, the battles aren't about one leader only, but involve every single political, spiritual and terrorist leader throughout the whole Mideast, including royals and experienced statesmen, secular spiritual devotees and Palestinian support efforts that coalesce into what one side describes as terroristic and another side defines as militia-based self-defense! What originally began with Israel and the US and the War in Gaza, which led to a general distrust of terrorist groups defending Palestinians and political and armament aims linked causally to Iranian supply and funding networks, has become a melee of worldwide effects centering on blocking global shipping, oil and food supply lines. Both the dissolved Hamas, and ceasefire-agreement-led Hezbollah, are notably a part of this calculus. 

The end of the Gaza war, brought about after ceasefire agreements under the US and Palestinian and Israeli negotiations and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners had a genuinely beneficial effect in the region. But after Israel's almost total destruction of Gaza and the deaths of around 1/20 the of the Gaza population by warfare between Hamas and Israeli forces, the Iran War continues unabated, expanding like a wildfire throughout the whole Middle East. Trump's contentious beliefs about Iran having or desiring nuclear weapons have been largely discounted, and his first strike war against Iran before their Straight of Hormuz blockade has done more damage than good, resulting in back and forth fighting between Iran and US forces stationed all throughout the Middle East, and the Iranian targeting of, and missile and drone strikes against, every Middle Eastern country with the exception of Yemen!

Although shipping through the Straight has partially resumed albeit under a blockade by the US against Iranian ships and the destruction of cargo ships under US escort by Iran within the Straight of Hormuz, US Congress has not come to any conclusions about whether or not the current Trump-led actions involving Iran are having any positive effect upon gas, oil and food prices, and also if Trump's Administration committed war crimes during their first strike "excursion". The Congress's resultant "legal" vectors to take timely responsibility over the whole situation have been put on hold by both the House and Senate, as they argue amongst themselves about when to approve US war powers involving Iran as well as what exactly to do next! Either way, war or withdrawal, they seem to be in a hard place of decisive actions because if they decide to take on this war themselves, then A) they may have to answer for US war crimes, B) the President may have to be impeached for war crimes, C) the war will spin out of control resulting in an unholy number of deaths of military forces and civilians all throughout that region of the world and D) the cost of the war in both human and monetary terms will soon become untenable.

One particular choice seems inevitable. Trump won't budge on his "Iran can't have a nuclear weapon" stance which can lead to a general de-escalation of war activity IF Congress were to take over the war. Congress can deliver a timeline to Iran where a rapid drawdown of US efforts at blockading Iran in the Straight will be conditional involving Iranian acceptance of futility when it comes to either side safely patrolling or controlling foreign ships passing through the Straight. This prevents all-out war and limits costs and deaths of military forces all throughout that area. If Iran decides to comply, most of the fighting involving Iran and the US can be reduced to shouting at the UN security council meetings scheduled for this year involving the Gulf region.

US President Trump has paused US strikes against Iran, hoping for a renewed deal from Iran that will open the Straight of Hormuz to free shipping passage and end potential nuclear threats from Iran. Iran has reportedly fired missiles into Kuwait which have been intercepted by Kuwaiti defense forces. Iran has not confirmed any scheduled negotiations with the US but has not fired missiles or drones after attacking the cargo ships being escorted by the US. It is possible that the US can find more efficient and effective ways to locate and destroy Iranian mines found in the Straight in order to expedite safe passage for traversing ships, but Iranian drones still pose a significant threat throughout the region. Disabling them in the Gulf nations affected by Iranian drone strikes could involve concerted efforts that could bring this conflict to a ceasefire by Iranian attrition, leading to new peace arrangements but that is if those coordinations are realistically possible under the present war conditions throughout the region.

Under edit.