And the winner is…
I can’t say that I’m particularly upset at our defeat — it was an unjust attack, a war of aggression instigated by our right wing and Israel, and it was doomed from the start — except that we killed a lot of people for no good reason. Fortunately, now Trump has signed what is called a “Memorandum of Understanding” that ought to be more accurately labeled our terms of surrender.
He signed it at Versailles.
On social media, the historian Kevin Kruse reacted with disbelief to the president signing the agreement to end his war in the same location where Germany was forced to sign the humiliating treaty of Versailles in 1919, accepting its loss in the first world war.
“He signed an unconditional surrender at Versailles?” Kruse wrote. “Come the fuck on.”
It is most definitely a surrender. Look at point 6 of the memorandum.
6. The United States undertakes, together with its regional partners, to create a comprehensive plan agreed upon by both parties for the rehabilitation and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, While ensuring financing of at least $300 billion. The implementation mechanism of this plan, as part of the final agreement, will be formulated within 60 days.
The US also agrees that “frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be released and made fully available”. There are no concessions to the US other than the promise that Iran will never produce nuclear weapons, a promise that was in place before we started bombing everything. We’re paying $300 billion in reparations!
The war might be over, except for one little clause.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, together with their allies in the current war, declare upon the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding an immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and undertake that from now on they will not launch any hostile action against each other, and will refrain from the threat or use of force against each other. The final agreement will confirm the provisions of this Article and the remaining Articles.
Our “ally” in this war was Israel. Netanyahu has already declared that they aren’t leaving Lebanon. He’s going to start firing missiles everywhere, isn’t he?
The MAGA rationalizations are going to be epic.
I’m so cynical and jaded at this point that the thought crossed my mind that the signing at Versailles was deliberate. It’ll be used as a rhetorical gambit so that Trump’s replacement fascist in 2039 can declare a need for some “living room”, make the “manifest-destiny-white-nationalist-christo-fascist-horror-show” ideology even MORE obvious (if at all possible), claim they are building a MAGAstan Republic that will last a thousand years, and invade Canada.
Mind you, I also think I might be being optimistic.
Louis
Don’t forget the Dolchstoßlegende! Pretty soon we’ll hear that we didn’t lose, we were sold out by the Jews.
Jimmy Kimmel provides a summary.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=LZMCdIZqDC8
“Melania is saying ‘how do I get a deal like that?’ “
Are there any precedents of similar incompetence in Roman history? He’ll now have a full scale Triumph in Washington I’m sure.
This isn’t even a peace treaty.
It is more like a cease fire in place.
A Memorandum of Understanding with everything to be determined in the future.
These temporary agreements tend to end up being the permanent agreement.
IRRC, we still have one left in place at the end of the Korean War. A cease fire agreement.
That turns out to be the case.
Technically North and South Korea are still at war.
After 73 years, a peace treaty on the Korean peninsula doesn’t seem very likely.
And the MOU is probably useless because a key party, Israel viz. Netanyahu, hasn’t agreed to anything with respect to Lebanon.
Note that, as we know, Dumpster has been skirting the law requiring Congressional authorization by saying it’s “not a war” but the MOU specifically refers to the conflict as “the current war.”
And the MOU is already loosing at home…and among Republican leaders. Per Heather Cox Richardson some conservative Republicans in Congress are pissed.
But not to worry, the MOU probably isn’t going to hold up for long because Bibi is using war to stay out of jail, too, and The Files are still waiting our attention.
The most incompetent administration we’ve ever had.
This wasn’t just an unjust war, it was illegal. Iran wasn’t a threat. Trump boasted how that first strike had obliterated their nuclear weapons capability. He neither sought not was granted Congressional approval.
The killing of those schoolgirls was thus arguably a war crime and should be prosecuted as such.
I’d also love to see a comparison between this deal and Obama’s which got all that flak about unfreezing Iranian financial assets and bow he’s doing the same.
A lot of people have died for nothing. This administration has blood on its hands and should be made to pay.
Same with Venezuela and those boats we keep destroying in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Some of those boats are certainly not drug boats. They are full of people and are probably transporting refugees.
Next up. Our consolation prize will be Cuba. They are at least close so we don’t have to travel far.
I wouldn’t call it arguable.
It was a war crime and not the only one.
We just bombed a water storage project in Iran, a target of zero military significance.