One of the best things we can learn from a child is how to walk again. Sure, walking is an exercise in falling forward in faith. We take a step believing that our next step will be there and keep us from face-planting. But as a so-called adult, I thought for too long that walking was a way of getting somewhere, that the destination was the purpose of the exercise.
Walking with a three-year-old, especially barefoot on a path through the woods (Pinery Provincial Park is one of our favourites), teaches me that the way, the walk itself is the point. A three-year-old meanders in a way that would make Thoreau rejoice, attending to everything she perceives, from the insects and tracks on the ground, to the moth or walking stick blending into bark or a low bush, to who knows what has eluded me, way up higher and focussed on getting to some destination that is just something to return from again after a while.
I hope to return to this again on another day but, for now, I’m going to digress onto today’s geopolitical path. Iran is in the news, and going by compromised Western news and G7 statements, the so-called “news” is “Not Even Worth Saying.” It’s not even competent propaganda which at least manipulates truths to shape a narrative; rather, it’s bald-faced lying or, to use the current terms, Hasbara, disinformation, misinformation, fake-news.
Against such stuff, a bit of reason goes a long way. A globe or decent map is a good start. Chatter about Israeli air superiority across Iranian airspace doesn’t pass any basic tests of math or geography. How would such a thing even work given Israel’s distance from Iran and Iran’s size, let alone the physical limitations of the weaponry required?
Common sense, psychology, and some reflection on projection should also get exercise. Must one lie because the truth will not do? Does one’s hate of others reveal a hatefulness within? Does one accuse others of that with which one is profoundly familiar? Does what one seeks to do unto others reveal the state of one’s spiritual integrity or lack thereof? Ultimately, does what we do reveal who we are?
What is telling to me is the escalation against the helpless. Pay attention to what the IOF and settlers are doing in Gaza and the West Bank. What they dare to do to the weak and vulnerable shows what they’d like to do but cannot against those with strength. Bullies have to do what they can with what they have to those who are within reach. When maniacs in IOF tanks fire on desperate people queing for food in Gaza, it’s psychopathy at play but, instead of imagining the Palestinians to be “Nazis,” the maniacs now imagine them “Iranians.” (Netiva Ben-Yehuda’s point is worth pondering: “We fixed our guns on the Arabs, we pulled the trigger … and we imagined to kill Nazis.)
Here are some sources which MAY be worthwhile to get a better picture of the geopolitical reality concerning the situations involving NATO-Iran and NATO-Russia or, perhaps, more accurately US-Iran and US-Russia despite all the posturing and pretense. I don’t think it’s Israel against Iran. I see Israel as a last-gasp proxy for United States as it seeks to retain hegemony in a world fast turning against them.
What frightens me is that the US may be vain enough to use its proxy to escalate to nuclear options. Vanity is always stupid. One doesn’t need the medievals or Macbeth to illumine this but there’s some value in review. However, any familiarity with various Rand or Brookings papers, let alone the official US stuff, may lead one to conclude we’re well into the collapse of the UK/US imperial project and the tension is now between the captains looking to save their cargo for other shores and the rats scrambling for whatever they can grab before the ships go down.
But enough of the digression. Resources:
Public opinion is worth considering. Here’s the latest Pew Poll on attitudes towards Israel and Netanyahu.
Or this item and link on attitudes towards US involvement against Iran in The Federalist
Individuals whose perspectives and resources may be helpful include:
https://www.moonofalabama.org/
https://substack.com/@simplicius76
Nima Alkhorshid at dialogue works
Brian Berletic at The New Atlas
Glenn Greenwald at System Update
Andrei Martyanov at Reminiscence of the Future
Yves Smith at naked capitalism
Andrew Napolitano Judging Freedom
Aggregators and collective websites include:
https://english.almayadeen.net/
https://english.masirahtv.net/
Social media is also worthwhile and here the teenagers and 20-somethings are helpful. The kids keep showing me stuff about what’s going on. Substack is also a good place, as is following links suggested in the comments on various sites such as Moon of Alabama. But keep your wits about you. There are a lot of trolls and distractors. And a lot of AI images too. Everyone gets fooled at times. Just do your best and keep a judicious sense of incredulity.
Feel free to use the comments to add your own suggestions.