Media Analysis

Top U.S. general resists Trump administration’s efforts to provoke war with Iran

A brave U.S. army lieutenant general may be risking his career to resist Trump administration efforts to provoke war with Iran. Robert P. White, who commands American forces in Iraq, last week wrote what the New York Times called a “blunt memo,” in which he opposed a new plan by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others to attack Iranian-allied militias inside Iraq. 

Most of the world is concentrating on fighting the coronavirus pandemic. But a small group of powerful men are taking advantage of the huge distraction to try and instigate Iran into a war, apparently hoping against all logic that a conflict will prompt regime change there that will neutralize Teheran’s influence in the Mideast. This warmongering group includes Pompeo; Robert O’Brien, the U.S. national security adviser; some top Israelis, including Benjamin Netanyahu; elements of the Israel lobby inside the U.S., and Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. 

Lt. Gen. White’s memo, which was leaked to the Times, warned that the proposed campaign in Iraq against Iranian-allied militias would “require that thousands more American troops be sent to Iraq and divert resources from what has been the primary American military mission there: training Iraqi troops to combat the Islamic state.”

The Pompeo/Netanyahu/Saudi target is the Kataib Hezbollah militia, which has attacked U.S. forces in Iraq, including after the Trump administration assassinated the senior Iranian general, Qassim Soleimani, in January. Pompeo et al dismiss Kataib Hezbollah as Iran’s “proxies,” although genuine experts argue that the group emerged because of the reality in Iraq, including the U.S. occupation, now entering its 17th year, and can act on its own.

Today’s Times report did not go far enough. Pompeo and his allies are not merely targeting a militia in Iraq, (and unnecessarily jeopardizing the 5000 U.S. troops still stationed there). They have a much larger aim — to provoke Iran into a response, which they hope escalates into a broader war. Plenty of critics have noted that aim, but the paper couldn’t find any of them to interview. 

(At least the Times did get its hands on General White’s memo. The Washington Post is running a pathetic report that simply takes the Pompeo/Netanyahu approach at face value.)

Mike Pompeo and Donald Trump are notoriously vindictive. Let’s see what’s in the future for Lt. General Robert White.

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Bravo, Lt. Gen. Robert White. The unbridled arrogance and stupidity of Mike Pompeo poses a significant threat to the national security of the American people. Pompeo’s ignorance and stupidity is very much in the mold of George W. Bush. That Iraq would be strongly under Iranian influence if the US destroyed the Iraqi regime was well known before the idiotic US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

> James North

Most of the world is concentrating on fighting the coronavirus pandemic. But a small group of powerful men are taking advantage of the huge distraction to try and instigate Iran into a war

Also taking advantage of COVID-19 –

“The Palestine foreign ministry … complains that Israeli squatter-settlers on Palestinian territory have formed gangs to attack Palestinians in small towns and hamlets, taking advantage of the lack of world attention to Palestine during the pandemic.”

https://www.juancole.com/2020/03/occupation-authorities-palestinian.html

There are five thousand (5000) US troops in Iraq? and when Iraqis attack them this is regarded as an outrage?

“merely targeting a militia in Iraq”

In fact they are part of the Iraqi armed forces, the Iraqi Army…in other words.

Why is USA in Iraq? According to the analysis in a novel by Mondoweiss contributor IrishMoses, (Gil Maguire)

“The Exodus Betrayal”,
https://mondoweiss.net/2019/06/president-conflict-betrayal/

the USA is in Iraq (or entered it initially) in order to destroy the orderly government of Saddam Hussein and replace it with a chaotic all-against-all shoot-em-up which would (by replacing order by chaos) reduce Iraq’s danger to Israel. Ditto Syria. That, rather than merely the usual enriching of war-profiteers I suppose, was also the reason for the utterly incompetent post-invasion “nation-building” which made the chaos horrific instead of merely bad.

And ditto all attempts to weaken government of Iran, the current topic.

Makes a lot of sense and is believable, to me. (And, BTW, a really terrific novel!)