I’ve just come off the Nolan show after a discussion with Charlie Wolf ( real name Stephen Linskey) who is a British-based US political commentator. The topic was “the mother of all bombs” which was dropped by the Americans in Afghanistan yesterday.
Charlie took the line that this was a splendid thing to do. The US is fighting ISIS, this was aimed at ISIS fighters, and they would now know that the US was serious in its opposition to them.
I heard the news on TV last night, and the fact that this was the biggest bomb ever dropped anywhere was horrifying. And frightening. Because – and I suspect I’m not alone – the next thought you have is “What next – nuclear bombs?” Six days ago Trump ordered the bombing of Syria, in retaliation for the chemical attack by Assad’s forces (Assad says the claimed chemical attack was all a fabrication). He was applauded for his actions by, among others, Theresa May. Now Trump has moved on to dropping the mother of all bombs – a neat soundbite, no doubt manufactured alongside the weapon. And rather different from the mantra of ‘Resolve your differences by peaceful political means, not violence’, preached at us by Britain and the US.
Anyone who’s interested in terrorism should note this latest action of Trump’s, because it is a classic example of state terrorism. It’s intended to frighten ISIS and anyone who might be tempted to support them into suing for peace. It’s also terrified the rest of the world, including tens of millions of US citizens, who believe Trump is unstable. A president who was able to tell reporters what dessert he had with the Chinese president Xi Jinping, but couldn’t get the name of the country his bombs attacked – he said they headed to Afghanistan, until corrected by a reporter – such a man surely doesn’t represent the best in US leadership.
So what effect will this mother of all bombs have? It may, as people like Charlie Wolf claim, demoralize ISIS and preface the end of their ghastly attacks. However, if we go by our experience here (think Bloody Sunday, and people in Derry queuing up to join the IRA), it’s more likely to stimulate a surge in recruitment to ISIS. It also presents another example of Trump’s trigger-happy temperament.
I don’t want my family or anyone else’s family to be at risk of attack, nuclear or otherwise. So the question you must ask yourself is this: has the dropping of the mother of all bombs yesterday made the world a safer place today? I think you know the answer to that.
My hopes are pinned on the 48% of American citizens who thought Hillary Clinton, with all her flaws, would have been a better bet than Trump as president. My prayer is that they’ll flood the streets of US cities, protesting against and calling for the impeachment of this clearly unbalanced man.
The US is better than this. How could it be worse?
seems a waste of a bomb,dropping it in a desert.
I listened to you on Nolan and I thought to myself that no matter how correct you were you only carried a very small stick in a world where the big stick carriers usually win. That’s why the British are still here. And as regards our little local difficulties, it’s touching that we are advised to cease all the senseless violence and get round the table. Talk about hypocrites.
The Americans are playing this all wrong. I totally agree with you Jude that this type of action by the US will only add fuel to the fire that is ISIS and swell their ranks.
They are playing it wrong in the sense that Medgar Evers described when talking about civil rights “You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea.”.
The US is fighting this on the wrong front. This is a war of ideas, they need to focus their efforts in exposing how bad an idea the Islamic belief system that ISIS hold is.
I would agree with your analysis that dropping bombs might damage Isis temporarily but it is damaging the credibility of the US in the eyes of the rest of the world.
I don’t know if American politicians “get it” but there are a great number of people who would under normal circumstances look to America in a positive light who see America acting as the class bully. People in this country should have no empathy with IS or with the ideology that spawned it be we do see that the Muslim people do see that there is a great injustice which Muslim countries have suffered at the hands of America and other western states.
America and the West are propagating war in the Middle East for regime change in each country which is not a US puppet state. I think a lot of people in the West would relish the opportunity to disassociate ourselves from the actions of these Western administrations.
By the way I believe Trump thought the missiles were destined for Iraq not Afghanistan.
The problem for those that favour dialogue is that we’re talking about ISIS. There is no such thing as negotiating with these people unless your starting position is the acceptance of a caliphate and the imposition of sharia law in your homeland.
ISIS is not an ETA or an IRA. They are not political guerrilla fighters that can be talked to, they’re a religious cult that sees the world in black and white, good and bad.
I’m reluctant to throw my support behind Trump but there’s no doubt in mind that the foreign policy of Obama has helped the rise of ISIS in his failure to militarily deal with ISIS – because militarily is the only way ISIS can be dealt with.
well when you think about it,there wasnt a chirp outta the japs again.
ISIS is a pseudo gang of NATO/Saudi Arabia axis of evil. It has yet to attack a country in the Middle East that is an ally of Saudi Arabia let alone their ‘no1 enemy’ Israel. It has endeavoured to target allies of Iran at all times. Iran,btw is hated by Saudi and Israel. It isn’t rocket science. As for the farcical ISIS attacks in Europe? They are a gift for European powers who want to keep up their Eurocentric interests in former colonies in the Middle East.
Although our first reaction to this is to worry about the precedent it is still the case that where the bombs are going is more significant than the size.
A smaller bomb dropped in a civilian area would have done a great deal more damage and killed many more people.
I think it’s time for us all to sit down and re-watch “Doctor Strangelove”. How has the world reached this point of total absurdity when it’s clear that the people have become so crazy that they don’t even recognize crazy when it has their lives in its unstable hands?
https://youtu.be/6T2uBeiNXAo
Why does your man call himself Wolf?
Because he’s a lean, mean killing machine. Not a soft handed, pot bellied keyboard warrior.
Apparently it helps prevent Stephen Nolan from “booty calling” him by accident on his smart phone!
If other “commentators” can change their names,why not Jude?! Any suggestions?
Jude Jaguar.
Sorry Jude, this bomb has nothing to do with ISIS in my opinion. Rather this bomb is a warning to those countries of the world that happen to disagree with ‘US democracy’. Speaking out of both sides of their mouth regarding fighting Isis won’t wash, especially as they are egging on Isis in Syria. Added to that they stood and watched step by step the growth of ISIS, some would even say they supplied them and encouraged them. Even Hilary/Obama calculated that they could be used to overthrow Assad in their selfish geopolitical interests in the region.
ISIS allows the west to be present in those regions I.e the western public are suitably duped into believing their govts arnt trying to steal oil or other natural resource, as was often the allegation in the past but rather ‘our govts are there simply to fight the war on terror’ blah blah blah. Job done. No danger of western public protests against their govts and now those said govts can work away unconcerned in those regions carving out more puppet regimes to do business with.
Btw, your prayer and wish that Hilary supporters and anti trump supporters would protest in every city in the US demonstrates that you have been duped too. In fact, have you noticed how Trumps critics have went very quiet since last week? The media, that were whipping up the hate Trump campaign, seem to have put the brakes on the bashing? Could it perhaps be that they have been given the nod that Trump is ok now? I.e that the warmongers that run the west now realise Trump will actually do what they want rather than what he said he would do? The warmongers are gonna get their way after all? Don’t forget, Hilary was calling for the bombing of Syria a few hours before Trump bombed them. I would say she’s happy with Trumps about turn too. Job done.
After Trump’s ‘successful’ bombing (or was it a test bombing?) in Afghanistan (or was it Iraq or Syria), the world’s most famous maniac is now talking about deploying these MOABs in Iran and N Korea.
We’re told 36 ‘rebel’ fighters were killed, but with the power of that bomb and the extent of its destruction, how could anyone match up the human smithereens or count the innocent from the guilty?
What did that bomb and its delivery cost, and was it worth the effort to kill 36 people?
And last week’s 59 Tomahawk missiles deployed in the Idlib province of Syria, of which only 23 apparently hit their target, killing 14 people: what did they cost, and was it considered worth the financial outlay?
Over the past 20 years or so the world’s worst terrorist organisation has been the US, from the sanctions, then invasion of Iraq, followed 10 years later by another, as the precursor to invading almost every Muslim country in the Middle East.
How many millions of people have been slaughtered one the pretext: we’re doing this to bring them democracy, its for their own good?
But the US and the UK try to tell us ISIS are the baddies – their kill rate is nowhere at the same level as the US and UK!
If their MOAB did kill members of ISIS ,and I don’t think that can ever be proven since those killed were reduced to atoms, they would have been “sacrificial lambs” It’s no conspiracy theory that America created ISIS,armed ISIS and indirectly pays their wages. America is no freedom loving benefactor , she is a tyrannical bully rampaging throuhout the world imposing her autocratic will where ever she deems necessary…….ISIS is just another tool in their vast armament. Unfortunately as with all bullies someone WILL strike back resulting in horrendous repercussions for the rest of mankind.
Meanwhile ISIS claims none of their members were killed in this recent act(false flag anyone?)on the ‘war on terror’. But what this show of strength achieved was to continue the policy of duping westerners into thinking the US is fighting ISIS:
http://news.sky.com/story/islamic-state-says-no-fighter-killed-by-mother-of-all-bombs-10837123
If Trump was to drop a nuke on Iraq/ Iran/ North Korea/ Syria Mrs May would say he was quite correct. Charlie Wolf hates Europe, he speaks out against it because he is an American imperialist. If mad Don did use a nuke nobody could do a thing about it. Who’s to say he hasn’t already? The fact is America will carry out whatever actions Saudi Arabia tells it. That was why they removed the hopeless Gaddafi. He posed no threat and was, like that arsehole in north Korea, a bogey man, someone to blame for all the ills in the World.
Is this the same Charlie Wolfe who referred to Activist, Rachel Corrie as ‘scum’ after she was murdered by an Israeli military bulldozer? Then tried to back track like all cowards? Just checkin.