When it comes to the Middle East, I blame Obama.
Aside from the obvious, Hamas started the war by committing heinous crimes against humanity on October 7th. Apart from the sick, hateful masterminds of Hamas and arch-terrorists in Gaza, Qatar, and Turkey, I blame Obama for the war in Israel and the attack from Iran.
As I am writing these lines, Israel is being attacked by Iran with hundreds of explosive drones and cruise and ballistic missiles. About two weeks ago, Israeli forces confiscated hundreds of semi-automated rifles and military-grade explosives in the West Bank, all smuggled into Israel from Iran.
Where do you think Iran, a country that, until 2015, was under international embargo and sanctions for decades, can afford to develop such weaponry in such massive quantities? A country with a crumbling economy, 2-digits inflation, and rampant poverty is able to produce so many weapons and arm the entire region and Russia?
With the Nuclear Deal signed in 2015, Obama released billions of dollars to Iran, funds that seemed to be used to develop drones also employed by Russia in Ukraine and advance ballistic missiles. Furthermore, Iran arms Hezbollah, the Houthi, Iraqi militias, and Hamas. While Iran and Hamas are not the best of allies, they share the common goal of eliminating Israel, leading Iran to support this Sunni organization.
Iran has repeatedly lied about its nuclear program, with Obama refusing to withdraw from an agreement signed behind Israel’s back. Obama refused to call on Iran and reinstate sanctions. Iran continued lying to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
A huge loophole in this agreement was that there was no limit on producing and selling conventional arms. Which is exactly what Iran did. Iran arms all her proxies who are geographically closer to Israel than Iran; therefore, Iran does not need to develop a new technology to start a regional or even another World War. It just needed to enhance existing ones and develop much of it. Enough for all of them to threaten Israel from all corners. This is exactly what Iran has been doing, and for the first time in history, Iran attacked Israel directly a couple of nights ago. Iran did not sacrifice or risk the life of any Iranian soldier, and that’s all that matters. They have the lives of the Palestinians, Lebanese, Syrians, and Yemenis to scarify.
The West fails to comprehend the Islamist mentality, particularly that of Iran, which plays the long game, gradually moving towards acquiring a nuclear weapon. Obama supported and financed these actions, contributing to the ongoing bloodshed in the Middle East and beyond.
Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize before he sat a foot in the Oval Office. His policies brought war and destruction to the Middle East and Ukraine. Yet, the world still cheers him on, worshiping him in some parts of the USA and Europe.
When Obama traveled to Egypt as his first Presidential international trip, then to Saudi Arabia and skipped Israel, he thought he was showing Netanyahu “who’s the boss.” He thought the Muslim nations would clap with joy at his action. Obama didn’t know that, and I doubt he learned that lesson: in MENA, you are marked as untrustworthy if you are disloyal to your friends. Loyalty is one of the cornerstones of the Middle Eastern culture. The way this action was seen in the region was more like, “With friends like this, who needs enemies,” and being wary of such “friendship.” Then came the “red line” he drew in the Syrian sand only to never act on his promise. And with that, even more, distrust grew among Arab nations of the young and inexperienced politician.
Obama did not know how to separate his disgust of Netanyahu from the deep friendship and protection of the only democracy in the region. Maybe he should have listened to his VP, who, today, practices that and handles Netanyahu better than anyone before him. Maybe age has its perks.
The Middle East is a challenging and tough neighborhood, a fact often whitewashed by Western leaders like Obama and Guterres. They believe being kind to extremist Muslims will yield reciprocity during global crises. However, this approach has led us here with dire consequences in Israel, South Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine. The Western approach that “you get more flies with honey” does not work in the Middle East, as it is perceived as a weakness. And weakness is a call for action, a show of power by the other side.
I mention all that now because, aside from the severe damage Obama’s policies did to the world, I sense he is heading for his next gig: becoming the next UN Secretary-General. And if the UN became more antisemitic since WWII, more wars erupted, and more conflicts fired under Guterres, be very afraid if Obama is the one replacing him.
In conclusion, Obama’s policies in the volatile Middle East, particularly as they empowered Iran to advance its nuclear program, arm their proxies, and emboldened Hamas, merit criticism. If my gut feeling is correct, Obama will be even more destructive as the next UN leader.
A recent poll shows that most Americans think the UN is doing poorly on its missions. An organization that struggles with its legitimacy, especially since the strong evidence of UNWRA employees’ involvement in the Oct. 7th massacre and many more affiliated with different terror organizations in Gaza. The UN cannot afford more blows to its credibility. As a Secretary-General, Obama will further the downfall of UN reliability and favorability.
If Obama were to replace Guterres as the UN Secretary-General, the implications could devastate the globe.
