Reuters news agency writes that CNN reported that Iran had offered bounties to the Taliban. This on top of earlier reports that Russia had offered bounties to the Taliban to kill American troops. All of this is preposterous.
It is hard to argue whether it is more ridiculous that the Russians or the Iranians offered bounties on American troops to the Taliban. All should be able to agree that the Taliban represent the lunatic fringe of Islamic extremism, exceeded in its violence and fanaticism only by the Islamic State.
The Iranians have religious and political differences with the Taliban, most notably the persecution of Shiite Muslims by that movement when it ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Whatever differences with the United States the Iranians have (this is a foreign policy area where Trump is in the wrong), the fact is that Tehran’s officials sat down with American officials to negotiate the nuclear agreement that Trump (wrongly) withdrew the United States from.
Russian collusion with the Taliban would also be insane. The Russians and the Iranians both fought against the type of extremism that the Taliban adheres to when they combined their efforts to preserve the territorial integrity of Syria and to bring about the downfall of the Islamic State. Where is the evidence of either Russian or Iranian collusion with the Taliban?
The anti Russian hysteria that has been predominant among the Democrats and their media (CNN, the New York Times etc) is as strong as ever. There are many reasons why Joe Biden must be defeated in November. The most important reason why Biden and the Democrats must be defeated is because of the risk of a potential conflict with Russia.
The demonization of Russia by the Democrats and their media over the past four years will have consequences in the realm of foreign relations were the Democrats to actually hold power. Russia has been blamed for Hillary Clinton’s election loss and more recently Russians have been blamed for inciting the riots in America. In 2017, Democratic official Paul Begala called for the bombing of Russia.
While the Democrats are the more dangerous of the two parties, the Republicans are also a cause for concern. The neocons who still have a dangerous influence within the Republican Party are advocates of war with Iran. As with Russia, war with Iran would be an act of madness.
President Donald Trump seems to have taken control of his foreign policy when he fired psychotic National Security Advisor John Bolton. Conflict with Iran has been avoided. A continuation of the Trump administration is preferable to a Democratic administration which could provoke a war with Russia.
This idea of a Russian or Iranian bounty on American soldiers is inherently stupid. It should be kept in mind that the Democrats (and the Republican neo cons) who supported the downfall of the Asaad regime were in effect endorsing a policy that was favorable to the Islamic State. It is far more accurate to say that the policies favored by the traditional foreign policy elites (which Trump has removed) were supportive of the Islamic State and other Jihadists.
The Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq and the Obama administrations policies in Syria and Libya were to the benefit of the Islamic State and other Jihadists. Russian and Iranian policies have been in opposition to fanatical Jihadists.