Can Israel Actually Win This War? Plus. . . – The FP

“The showdown of the year is Ferguson vs. Goldberg.”

…two writers I like and recommend. Although I’ve always voted left, I’ve never been tempted to ideologically ‘purify’ my reading. That would be ridiculously self-sabotaging.

Regarding the capitalism/communism schism in the world simplifying everything… there’s a simple beauty to that analysis, but there are serious complications. In theory, it makes a lot of sense. But it’s not reality as the world has now adjusted to post-Berlin Wall.

Two major factors to consider: Islamic states are not democracies, but they do welcome trade and a certain amount of economic freedom. Whether they work toward the end of the non-Islamic world (like Iran) or not is another axis in this world.

Second, the capitalist Western nations are outsourcing more and more manufacturing to communist states, sacrificing security and wealth on the altar of this new religion related to climate change.

These two factors both work heavily to China’s advantage and have created friendships (Russia and China, for example) that can only exist to eliminate America’s superpower status.

If this religion continues to dominate Western politics, Russia will find success in its expansion and we all need to teach our children to speak Mandarin.

This comment is really only adjacent to some of the content today, but I would be very happy if Bari Weiss and Douglas Murray debated Krystal Ball and, well, name any other Hamas apologist.

Netanyahu’s fate will be decided by voters in Israel, in the meantime: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds…

Democratic Capitalism. I think isolationists deserve to be heard and do a good job of tempering the jingoists. I tend to see through the lens of hegemony which requires armed maintenance, but I’m grateful for isolationists who try to prevent war fever and keep our engagements strategic (as opposed to unwieldy). Which party would you say is the party of Democratic Capitalism? Which would is a better member of the global Democratic Capitalism community? Republicans by a mile, no?

Damn! Niall Ferguson is not only a pompous, Stephen A. Smith wannabe, the dude has extremely thin skin.

Though in all honesty, if Jonah Goldberg criticizes someone, that person’s standing improves. So Niall’s got THAT going for him. Which is nice. One would almost always wish to be preferable to Goldberg.

I find it quite interesting that TFP won’t even devote a paragraph to the disgusting rally held in the Bronx by the miscreant Bowman and AOC on Monday. I guess they don’t want to promote winning aspects their lovely democrat party. An antisemitic rant that would make Julius Streicher proud.

“1776”, by far and away my favorite play, musical, and film! Script and lyrics incredible.

I am rocked ( & not in a good way) by Peter Savodnik’s so very prescient “the rest of the world has little time for American partisanship. The rest of the world is not a Democrat or a Republican, and it is quickly breaking into two camps—the camp that, broadly speaking, subscribes to democratic capitalism. And the bad people. . . . . . The major difference between then and now is that now we are cognitively—characterologically—ill-equipped to do battle with those who are already doing battle with us.” I cannot begin to describe the fear welling up in me for our future both individaully, familially, and collectively.

People are saying Russia had no choice but to invade Ukraine? I guess my desire to disengage from the news cycle has been successful, because I’ve never heard anyone say that before.

Russia was right on the cusp of having real leverage over the west with gas exports to Germany, and they flushed that advantage right down the toilet. Their rhetoric tries to paint the US as an existential threat, but the reality is that no one was ever going to invade Russia. They have nukes and the apparent willingness to use them to protect their sovereignty. Yes, yes an opponents missiles near your border will make anyone nervous but unless they seriously want to invade NATO countries there really isn’t much to worry about from those (as we are seeing with Ukraine).

People Who Would Know have told me that Russia’s war in Ukraine is due to Putin’s atavistic obsession with Soviet era borders. I’m not in a position to question their expertise, but the idea just seems so insane to me I find it very difficult to believe. Either way, it was far from necessary for them to invade. They have undermined their own position by doing so.

I love seeing Goldberg show up here. His G-File used to be part of my weekly read. Loved him. I also appreciated his and NR’s early Never Trump stance. I was right there with him at first. Now, I think he is misguided and years of being on the receiving end of some rather vile criticism has broken his brain a bit. Still follow him on Twitter. And still think his book Liberal Fascism is a classic of conservative thought. Will definitely be tuning in to this debate.

Israel needs to win the war in Gaza. Our civilization hangs in the balance. Once Hamas is rooted out of Gaza, we need a UN force to come in and oversee the transition from Hamas to ???. Of course, the UN needs to be checked regularly since it has shown to be corrupt (viz. UNRWA). Since the Rafah job is almost done, Israel is now pivoting to Hezbollah, who has been ramping up attacks over the past 6 months (gets worse and worse by the day). Of course, this will give a green light to Iran itself to join the fray. Where will the US be? Probably wiping drool off of Bidens mouth.

These are dangerous times for Israelis. I salute them for continuing to try to live a “normal” life.

I’m not a scholar of anything but I’ve visited Russia as a journalist and tourist three times (Moscow twice, Vladivostok, St. Petersburg), earliest in the late 1980s transition period, latest in Putin prime (before Ukraine). Russia in ANY period is about as much like the United States as Alabama is to New York.

“It was vintage Ferguson: a thorough, audacious provocation.”

The last thing the world needs is more provocations. If Ferguyson wrote the essay solely to provoke people, then TFP had no business publishing it. The last thing TFP readers need is more pieces designed to generate outrage; we came here for honest news, we can swing over to Twitter for the breathless bullshit-on-crack outrages of the hour.

If Ferguson wrote the essay because he believes what he wrote, believes he proved his case, and it sparked controversy anyway, so be it. I have no problem with those kinds of essays.

I believe it was the latter, not the former. So you do your man a disservice by labeling it “a thorough, audacious provocation.”