We “rethink the week” with Stephen Pimpare, Professor at the University of New Hampshire and a nationally recognized expert on poverty, homelessness, and U.S. social policy; Dean Spiliotis, Civic Scholar and Presidential Scholar at Southern New Hampshire University; and Jeff Feingold, editor of the NH Business Review.
MURDER OF AN IRANIAN LEADER
Not surprisingly, we began with a discussion of Pres. Trump’s decision to assassinate Qassem Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Iran has threatened to retaliate, and Trump counter-warned that the US would respond with devastating force including strikes upon many of Iran’s revered cultural sites (which are considered world heritage sites). We, like most analysts, have been unable to determine what Trump’s goals or strategy might be: what would make him take such a risk that could threaten the Middle East and the world.
We do, however, recognize the enormous dangers in which Trump’s actions have put us. Whatever Iran does to retaliate, whatever Trump orders in response, the potential military actions, the murder of any leaders of sovereign nations, the exacerbation of the chaos already spreading throughout the Middle East, the uncertainty alone — not to mention the military conflagration — have made the world a far more dangerous place.
HOW WILL TRUMP’S IRAN ACTION AFFECT THE U.S. POLITICAL RACES IN 2020?
Will this enhance Joe Biden’s chances, given that he claims a deep involvement in foreign affairs? Or will it hurt Biden because some voters think he has not displayed good judgment in his conduct of foreign affairs?
Will the decision to murder Suleimani help Pres. Trump get reelected (because many of his supporters favor the use of our military might to achieve US goals throughout the world)? Or will voters fear the dangerous consequences (often unforeseen) of jumping into war? Will Trump appear brave and decisive? Or will he simply look unhinged, without guidance from a consistent, rational set of principles?
What about Bernie? Will he be able to gain more support in this moment by highlighting his “NO” vote against GW Bush’s war in Iraq? Will Elizabeth Warren be able to use Trump’s new violence to focus public attention on the “corruption” that she talks about so often: all the donations that Trump and other Republicans have received over the years from big oil and gas and from the military-industrial complex, and how, coincidentally, militaristic policies such as Trump’s have benefited these donor corporations with billions of dollars in profits.
Will all Democrats suffer from the fallout from the Afghanistan Papers which showed that the US government — in administrations run by both parties — has made some horrific choices in its involvement in Afghanistan and, to boot, has hidden their actions from (or lied about them to) the American people?
So far, everyone has asked the Democratic candidates how they plan to pay for Medicare for All or other health care proposals. Will voters and the media now start asking them how they plan to pay for a drawn-out war with Iran?
