Iran doesn't have world beating military intel and power. They aren't getting Russia to join them in any military attacks - in fact the US likely conferred with Russia leading up to this. As long as Americans are evacuated from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, it's going to be frustrating for Iran to move forward aggressively. Trump did what he had to do.
No he didn’t. Going back to 07 when we in a hot war with Shia militias, the US military has had opportunities to assassinate him and turned it down because of the escalation it would pose. Trump didn’t “have to” kill him regardless if he deserved it. Bush and Cheney didn’t even act this impulsively on Iran although their invasion of Iraq sort of led to this point in the end. Reg Russia - I see no reason why Russia would have given this the ok. It runs counter to their objective to get the US out of Iraq. Maybe they called to ensure there were no Russian assets in the attack areas prior but this doesn’t advance their interests at all.
It's like it's 2002 all over again as I'm hearing many of you saying things that sound like what was said about Iraq in the leadup to the invasion.
Impulsively? Trump rolled out of a bed full of big mac's and did this with no build up? No culmination from Soleimani's constant attempts at escalation towards embassies, soldiers, diplomats, allies etc? As putin said, you poke the bear, don't expect him to keep taking it. Russia is doing too well to jeopardize it by providing Iran with help, and Saudi definitely supported this move. Let's see how the coming weeks and months go before you get back to your programmed narrative.
Replace Soleimani with Saddam and the resemblance is striking. Except one could argue Soleimani has more power in the region and his death unifies an adversary against the US while killing Saddam was more polarizing in Iraq. Many in Iraq wanted him out and celebrated it, but the country was not prepared for what came after. But the talking points are striking. Good news is I think the media in general won’t play into the narrative quite like they did in 02/03, and there certainly won’t be bipartisan support like there was in Congress prior. There are even going to be defectors in Trumps own party on agreeing to this issue. Only issue now is that Trump doesn’t care about Congressional authorization, or the constitution, or anything like that. As long as his base loves it, he loves it.
The admin conferred with Russia but not with Congress before the strike would be a bit of a problem, don't you think?
Solid article from The Atlantic on the situation: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/qassem-soleimani-dead-why-now-and-what-now/604387/ (Excerpt below) We should be asking two questions: Why now, and What now? The most obvious answer to the first is that Iran escalated its war with the United States by attacking the embassy in Baghdad, and that Soleimani’s assassination was the response Iran could (or should) have predicted. Unlike other Iranian escalations, this one came close to being irreversible—embassies, once overrun, cannot simply reopen after the protesters have finished looting the office supplies—and required a quick deterrent reply, enough to force Iran to pause and recalculate. Soleimani posed an ongoing and lethal threat. The other, more worrying answer to Why now? is that the president is impulsive, and wages war without much thought. What now? Strangely, this question is in some ways easier to answer. We are, as Andrew Exum writes, at war, and you do not have to be Kreskin to know that Iran will retaliate. The Soleimani lesson—what he crystallized into doctrine for Iran—is that for a weak power like Iran, geostrategy works only by indirect confrontation. You find unexpected pain points in your enemies, nerves left exposed here and there in forgotten places. Many are predicting attacks on American interests abroad: embassies, civilian targets, oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. But the list of predictable targets ends where the Iranians’ list of attractive targets starts. We have traded acute chaos in Baghdad for an extension and escalation of our permanent war against Iran in the region.
The credibility gap is a huge problem for this admin, both domestically and aboard. Whatever reasons they give for the attack is trusted by who? They are going to have to show real concrete evidences.
Woke up this morning drinking my cup of coffee and Proud to be an American. Btw. Trump is still our President.
Ayatollah and his people shouting Death to America. Well maybe this will humble them. Navy and Marines at Straight of Hormuz to easily counter the speedboats.
We have seen Trump say things to Putin he wouldn't tell to Congress - who he clearly see's as his enemy and obsessed with impeaching him. You're a bit too naive for this level of politics, need more real world experience.
Hezbola and Iran militants should now storm the US embassy. BTW they will be greeted by marines and 82nd airborne rangers.