“This is the dirty work that Israel does for all of us.”
– German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, quoted in the Wall Street Journal. ($)
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Samizdata quote of the day – Israel doing the stuff that others don’t want to doJune 20th, 2025 |
 34 comments to Samizdata quote of the day – Israel doing the stuff that others don’t want to doLeave a Reply |
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https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israeli-secret-services-used-fake-phone-call-to-lure-irans-air-force-elite-to-their-deaths-ejqk7guy
“Nobody does it better” as Carly Simon would sing. Assuming the above is true and based on previous exploits it probably is.
The Chancellor of Germany is often mistaken – but on this particular point he is correct.
If the IRI regime gets nuclear weapons it will not “just” use them against Jews – it will use them against any infidels it can, and the IRI regime can not be “deterred” as they believe if they are killed by infidels they, the IRI regime members – and their families, will go to Paradise.
So their nuclear bases, and the economic means they have to pay for development, must be destroyed, before they have nuclear weapons to use on infidels – and Israel is acting on behalf of all infidels, not just itself.
However….
I do not believe that Israel can complete on its own – which is why President Trump needs to act.
Germany or Britain can not really do anything (indeed the United Kingdom seems unable to guard even its own airbases – two military aircraft were damaged in an attack only a few hours ago), but the United States can take action to destroy the IRI regime nuclear bases – and should take action to destroy the IRI nuclear bases.
By the way….
There is chatter from pro Putin sources, that the People’s Republic of China Dictatorship has committed itself to the IRI regime.
In which case the clash with the PRC Dictatorship will take place a few years before it would have taken place anyway.
Over 50 years of insane Western policy has created (or helped create) a monster – which is just as determined to destroy the West as it was under Mao, but is now far more able to do damage that it was under Mao.
The Dictatorship makes no secret of this – there are giant pictures of Mao in the capital square, and the image of this evil (incredibly evil) person is even on the currency. They have abandoned the ECONOMICS of Mao – but his political objective, spreading tyranny all over the world, remains unchanged. Tyranny for its own sake – and because liberty (liberty anywhere) is a threat to the PRC Dictatorship.
The only difference between the IRI Dictatorship and the PRC Dictatorship (both committed to spreading tyranny and exterminating liberty) is that the latter is ATHEIST.
In this context that may be a Good Thing (TM) – as it may, therefore, be possible to DETER the PRC Dictatorship.
“Do not come into the war on the side of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dictatorship, as that would mean the global thermonuclear war – which would lead to your own deaths, and you do not believe in Paradise, you believe that death is eternal nothingness”.
Dictator Xi of the People’s Republic of China does not want to die – as he does not believe he would go to Paradise, as he does not believe Paradise exists – therefore it should be possible to DETER him.
One other thing needs to be explained to Dictator Xi of the People’s Republic of China.
As an atheist he is an infidel, and an infidel of a particularly hated sort – so even paying the infidel tax, on his belly begging for his life (for there is a ritual involved), would NOT save him – as atheists do not get that option.
His “friends” the Islamic Republic of Iran Dictatorship would KILL HIM.
But only after he had exhausted being useful to the China First regime.
It is the European countries that are most dependent on oil and gas from the Arab (formerly Persian) Gulf. India, China and Japan are also dependent on this oil. Nobody should be happy to see a nuclear Iran control the straits of Hormuz. Yet none of the above were willing or capable of stopping Iran from developing nuclear arms. The other Arab countries, and even Turkey, have good reasons to fear a nuclear Iran. And Russia too…
The Guardian has an essays that begins “America made a catastrophic mistake with the Iraq war” …. Did it? Was the Iraq war a “catastrophic” mistake? I don’t think so. I think Iraq has, now, a better regime than under Saddam Hussein. It is also less threatening to it’s minorities and it’s neighbors and other countries. So, I don’t think the Iraq war was a “catastrophe”. But I see why a lefty would believe that reducing the power of the government (any government, even that of Saddam Hussein) would be a “catastrophe”.
About changing the regime in Iran. It sure would be a dangerous and unpredictable experiment. Still worth trying. It is impossible to imagine a future regime worse than the current.
Paul,
I suspect the Chinese are playing Les Buggeurs Risible on this one. If the US does anything about Iran’s nukes they will grumble and use it to score points but on the QT they will be pleased. A nuclear armed Iran is not helpful to them and it really isn’t helpful to their belt and road antics in Central Asia.
Iraq’s Christians ‘close to extinction
Since the US-led invasion toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003, he said, the Christian community had dwindled by 83%, from around 1.5 million to just 250,000.
US state department report mentions Iraqi Christian population as low as 150,000:
According to Christian leaders as well as NGO and media reports, fewer than 150,000 Christians remain in the country, down from a pre-2003 estimate of fewer than 1.5 million.
Jacob, I agree. It has become a trope of even the more “realistic” folk that knocking Saddam off his perch was a mistake, should have left the cunt in power, no WMDs, not a nice man but we could “do business with him” – the usual line of people who probably were cool with all manner of bastards in power. Except that SH had a long record of frustrating weapons inspectors; he used chem weapons on various groups; the Oil-for-Food programme of the UN was a corrupt sink; SH was clearly keen on getting nukes, and we can thank the IDF for stopping this to an extent in 1981 with its bombing raid. The arguments given by Kenneth Pollack 24 years ago for taking Saddam H. down still carry a lot of credibility.
And an added point re Iran is that if Tucker Carlson thinks dealing with Iran is a bad idea, then it is definitely worth doing. What a poisonous oaf that man has become.
JP,
Whilst I see where you’re coming from wrt to SH the fundamental question remains – was it worth the blood and treasure? I would say it wasn’t. I feel the same way about Afghanistan – especially the absurd “nation building” mission-creep including folding the whole caper into “The War on Drugs” and everything else…
Short version. I don’t think it is worth the life of a single squaddie or GI on my quids to replace one form of Islamic shitholery with another form of Islamic shitholery. Though “Evil Nick” can see some merit to destabilising a place to the extent it presents no external threat.
Iraq is no Germany. Afghanistan is no Japan. Iran should be de-fanged and then let’s see what the Iranians do to their weakened theocrats… With some subtle help – of course.
Regarding Iraq and Afghanistan, I humbly suggest the mistake was to imagine a western liberal democracy could take root in such infertile soil. Saddam Hussein and the Taliban needed to go, no doubt. The Americans should have lined up a strong man to take over and let him get on with it. There was never any prospect of an Iraqi or Afghan version of the Liberal Democrats getting very far in those benighted countries.
In Adam Curtis’ documentary Bitter Lake, there’s footage (see the clip here) where some British woman is teaching Afghan girls about western conceptual art and using Marcel Duchamp’s toilet as an example. The Afghan girls look at it with disbelief, one girl shaking her head. My sympathies there were with the Afghan girls. Very stupid really trying to push nihilism as if it was some good alternative to Islam.
The class was performed by the charity that Rory Stewart’s wife runs, Turquoise Mountain, and when all the information came out about USAID earlier this year, it was revealed USAID were major funders of that charity.
A small thing in the grand scheme of things but very telling I thought about US-British foreign policy.
Martin,
I think you have mentioned that before here (or someone has) but even the truly concrete nation building efforts on things like essential infrastructure are a total waste of time if the locals are, quite frankly, a bunch of inveterate goat-fuckers besotted with the ravings of a dark-age warlord.
”The most extravagant idea that can be born in the head of a political thinker is to believe that it suffices for people to enter, weapons in hand, among a foreign people and expect to have its laws and constitution embraced. No one loves armed missionaries; the first lesson of nature and prudence is to repulse them as enemies.” – Robespierre (this is the first time ever I’ve ever quoted the guy favourably but credit where it is due)
Indeed Martin, quite the counterpoint to Rouseau’s idea of, “Forcing people to be free”!
Well funnily enough, the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament are opposed to the attack on Iran.
Here’s a taste of their position:
Here are 2 recent articles making pretty much the same point:
Iran 2025 Is Not Iraq 2003. Here’s Why.
Iran: Don’t Fear Regime Change
From personal experience and other people’s reports, i have a cautiously positive view of the Iranian people (as distinct from the Iranian regime). One thing that i’d like to point out is that, according to the ADL antisemitism index, Iranians are less antisemitic than any Arab nation, or even the Turks.
@Johnathan Pearce (London)
Jacob, I agree. It has become a trope of even the more “realistic” folk that knocking Saddam off his perch was a mistake,
I don’t think that knocking off Saddam was a mistake, I mean the world is better with him dead for sure. But the Iraq war was a disaster in many important ways. For one thing it was yet another defeat of the American military which dramatically undermines our credibility when they are actually needed. The biggest, toughest military in the world hasn’t won a war since 1945, with the possible exception of the first Gulf War.
And of course hundreds of thousands of innocent people were killed including thousands of American civilians and military, and God alone knows the cost in permanent injury, lives destroyed and property damaged. Finally, I’m sorry to be so crass about it, but something in the order of one quarter of the US national debt is directly due to that war and similar especially when you compound the interest. Saddam was no threat to the people of the United States, however the national debt is a huge threat, and threat that will destroy us, or, to use that overused phrase, an actual existential threat.
If we really thought getting rid of Saddam was the right thing to do we could presumably have assassinated him. The disastrous cluster fuck that was the attempt to assassinate Bin Laden might make one think the US military utterly incapable of such a thing but you have to remember that Bin Laden was surrounded by fanatical followers who would rather die, or blow up their children than put Bin Laden at risk. Any loyalty to Saddam was purely transactional. I’m sure if you gave Blackwater the task they could get it done for less than we spend on sunscreen in the Iraq war.
But there is another side to this — GWB’s obsessive idea that he could make Iraq a Westminster style democracy betrayed his complete ignorance of the world. I remember clearly the purple fingers and feeling my heart leap for joy that such a thing would be brought about. But it was all for naught. The cultures in these countries are just not supportive of democracies (not yet anyway.) The only successful countries in the Arab world are run by strongman autocrats. And that is not always a totally terrible thing. If you look at a place like the UAE it is an extremely attractive place to live, in fact I have often thought of moving there. The Emirs might be tyrannical bastards, but at least they are our tyrannical bastards.
Don’t get me wrong, I was just as, if not more, ignorant of these things back then too, probably still am today. I supported the Iraq war. But it was, in retrospect, a huge mistake. And the American people mostly agree with me on that. But the really scary thing is that despite the colossal failure, not a single person has been fired or demoted for it. The only thing that you get fired for from the government and military is having the audacity to call into question the good sense of your superiors, or dare to tell the people what their government are doing.
Instead we are left with people like Bolton and Pompeo, two men who never saw a poor, dark skinned foreigner that they didn’t want to blow up.
If I recall correctly the Bush administration and Pentagon, at the time of the invasion in 2003 favoured the exiled Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmed Chalabi, despite him being a convicted fraudster and having ties to the Iranian government. He ended up falling out with America, but it is quite amusing in a grim way that the US government were taking in by him in the first place (while he was in exile he had an office in Tehran , which the Americans surely knew about).
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/13/pentagon-pizza-delivery-israel-iran-attack
It’s not often I use this phrase but “Well played the Guardian”.
(Ok I found it via Takimag. So sue me).
But it was, in retrospect, a huge mistake. [The Iraq war]
Depends on which perspective. From the perspective of Americans – considering the sacrifices, including the debt – maybe.
From the perspective of Europe (and the Guardian) and Israel — it was a good thing. Less warmongering, less threats, less terror sponsoring (from Iraq).
From the perspective of Iraqi people – I don’t know. They suffered great destruction and life loss, still, the current regime seems better that Saddam’s, especially for the big minorities (shia and kurds). So, maybe, in the long run it was a good thing.
The position of The Guardian (i.e. the leftie elites), though, is ridiculous. Any intervention by the US is bad, because the US is the great Satan, even greater than Saddam or Khamenei. I’m sure the Guardian is not bothered by the price the US paid, in life and money.
So, Fraser Orr, even if you think, in retrospect, that the Iraq war was a huge mistake, it is not at all for the reasons the Guardian calls it a catastrophe. Toppling a regime or a leader who promotes “death to the US, death to Israel” – is a catastrophe for the Guardian. It is not the murders and oppression that a regime practices on it’s own people that bothers the Guardian, as long as it chants and promotes “death to Israel”.
“His “friends” the Islamic Republic of Iran Dictatorship would KILL HIM.”
I’m pretty sure the opposite is also true and far more likely to occur.
@Jacob
it is not at all for the reasons the Guardian calls it a catastrophe
Shrug. It does give me pause to agree with the Grauniad, nonetheless, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
@Jacob Well I’m not sure. Massive amounts of illegal immigration to Germany and the UK from Libya, Iraq, Somalia and other s***holes.
I have seen it credibly argued that without Iraq 2 this would not have happened (or at least, not to the same extent).
Mr Ed, as you know the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was never really about nuclear disarmament – it was about such things as the organizing the escape of KGB puppet (traitor) George Blake – so CND NOT being against the IRI Dictatorship having nuclear weapons, is not a shock.
As for the alliance between the Islamic dictatorship in Iran and the atheist dictatorship in China is, as Discovered Joys and Nick (and others) have pointed out, one of convenience – they find each useful, for the moment, but would happily murder each other.
After all Dictator Xi uses Muslims for spare parts (whilst they are still alive) – and kills them.
Mr Putin also made his name killing Muslims – and now is their ally.
The IRI and other Islamic regimes are not fools – they know all this, and only ally with Xi and Putin out of convenience for the moment.
If tney could – they would kill both Xi and Putin, just as these rulers would kill them.
The war of pushing Al Qaeda to fight in islamic land was a great success.
When Bin Laden was finished there was no protests, no rage. He destroyed his reputation in Iraq with every bombed mosque, bridge, market.
President Donald John Trump has launched limited strikes to try and destroy Islamic Republic of Iran nuclear bases – bases Israel is unable to destroy.
As yet no decision seems to have been made to get rid of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dictatorship itself – in spite of this Dictatorship being at war with the United States since 1979 – not just chanting “Death to America”, but also killing many Americans.
Note to people who do not know – Congress does not have to declare war on a power that is already at war with the United States, as the IRI Dictatorship clearly is.
Last nights bombing raids were launched from Diego Garcia which, while strategically predictable with hindsight, opens a whole new can of worms for TTK and Hermer to ponder (and maybe even pontificate) on.
Last nights bombing raids were launched from Diego Garcia which, while strategically predictable with hindsight, opens a whole new can of worms for TTK and Hermer to ponder (and maybe even pontificate) on. – writes John.
Yes, and this by the way is an early indication of what a foolish, frankly treasonous, “deal” the Chagos Islands move is. I was chatting to a close friend with a good read on today’s Labour Party in the UK, and he was musing that the LP has been, to an extent, penetrated by the Chinese Communist Party. I mean, take this story about the new proposed Chinese embassy (even the Guardian has noticed this issue, which appals parts of the Left), or the way that Rachel Reeves’ trip to China was spun by the government as some great deal for Britain, when it appears doubtful.
The Tories have not been blameless, either, in regard to Russia. And in the past Farage worried me by some of his comments about Putin (although he’s been careful on that topic more recently).
And then there is Jeremy Corbyn and his paid-for appearances on Iranian state TV. The man is not for peace, but for the other side. In certain times, he’d be confined.
I’m a bit vague. Was it Diego Garcia because I’d heard it was Whiteman AFB, Missouri. I really wanna know the full sp on this and I suspect much will be revealed in time.
NickM
Yes I now wonder if I jumped the gun when trusting early reports that it was Diego Garcia.
More to the point DJT doesn’t play by Queensbury rules and, like Obama, acts first rather than involve congress – something which appears to have skipped the collective minds of those complaining the loudest.
John,
I don’t think it’s even flouting the “Queensbury Rules”. Firstly such “rules” only apply to a fair contest where both sides stick with them. Secondly nobody in their right mind would announce the date and time of stealth bomber strikes on known locations. Whilst I am no fan od the “Trump Plays 4D Chess” idea his apparent prevarication (“maybe a fortnight?”) seemed to catch Iran completely blind-sided. And clearly an operation of this scale involving over a third the B-2 fleet and God knows how many tankers and other assets was not dreamed-up in an afternoon. If the damage to Iranian nuclear capacity is as bad as it seems then this is America’s Dambusters raid and some.
@NickM
I’m a bit vague. Was it Diego Garcia because I’d heard it was Whiteman AFB, Missouri. I really wanna know the full sp on this and I suspect much will be revealed in time.
The answer is both. One was a deception. The bombers that dropped the ordinance (the bunker busters anyway) came from Missouri.
However, I see that Iran did a perfunctory retaliation that was weak and didn’t do much, and it sounds like they even gave the US a heads up. So it looks like a face saving thing, and they have largely capitulated. And it looks too like Trump is going to accept it gracefully and call it a done deal.
Which I think is pretty miraculous. This could easily have spiraled into something really bad, but it looks like we are going to be able to do a “deal” with Iran, their nuclear weapon threat is gone, and Trump is going to be able to transform the Middle East into a cooperative set of states engaged with the world, and not engaged with terrorism. If he can pull it off it is surely one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of American presidents, something that every President since Carter tried and failed to do.
The fact that he will not get a Nobel Peace Prize tells you a lot more about the prize than it does about him.
And it also has to be said that Netayahu has been remarkable, and the IDF once again showed themselves as the best of the best. They deserve a large share in the glory. Needless to say, they DEFINITELY won’t be getting any Nobel Peace Prize.