Iran Attack: War Powers, Propaganda and the 'Evil Axis'
As the U.S. and Israel strike, here are global realities behind the headlines.
Americans have been waking up to the news that the United States and Israel launched a new, long-expected attack on Iran’s brutal regime. Propagandists are already flooding the media, so millions of people are being told what to think before they get basic facts.
Here are some crucial elements to understand.
Don’t trust “semi-official news agencies.”
Iran has a ruthless Islamist regime that controls the flow of information. The government kills people who try to get the truth out.
The government releases propaganda through so-called “news” agencies. Western media refer to these as “semi-official,” sending audiences the false message that they’re at least half-trustworthy. But these agencies do the government’s bidding. The “semi” involves a technicality: The government allows them to exist, while claiming not to own them. They’re state-controlled outlets wearing a mask of independence.
Other presidents left military options open
Former Presidents Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Obama and Biden made clear that the United States was willing to strike Iran. In Washington-speak, they kept military options “on the table.”
I covered this here:
Congressional authorization requirements are unclear.
Critics rush to insist that U.S. law is simple, and that Congress must authorize this kind of military action. But the truth is that there’s no clarity.
When Obama threatened strikes on Syria in 2013, he said:
“As Commander-in-Chief, I always preserve the right and the responsibility to act on behalf of America’s national security. I do not believe that I was required to take this to Congress. But I did not take this to Congress just because it’s an empty exercise; I think it’s important to have Congress’s support on it.”
It’s a strong reminder of why a president should earn Americans’ trust. Trump has very much not done so.
Iran leads an ‘evil axis.’
I interviewed Haisam Hassanein, a brilliant political analyst in Egypt. Listen here:
He explained:
“The Middle East is divided nowadays between the Iranian axis — I would call it the evil axis — and the moderate axis.”
The “evil axis” also includes Iran’s network of terror proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, he said. The “moderate axis” includes nations that have joined the Abraham Accords, such as the UAE and Bahrain, and other nations such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman. “They don’t want a similar model as the Iranian axis,” and don’t want terrorist groups taking over their countries, he said.
Many world powers want this.
This isn’t a case of the United States going rogue or “doing Israel’s bidding,” as antisemites rush to claim. Iran endangers the world. Canada and Australia have spoken up in favor of this military action.
Last year, when Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear sites (and the United States soon did as well), German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, “This is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us. We are also victims of this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world.”
There are also leaders around the world slamming this decision, of course. Different strategic interests apply in each country.
Lots more to come. I’m putting together a quick episode, so send in your questions. Supporters: use these links.
JL
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