The Alternative View

For John, BLUF:  The Democrats, in and out of Government, are saying that President Trump upset the stability in the Middle East, unleashing forces he neither recognizes nor can control.  It is a disaster, worse than the Johnstown Flood.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Soleimani's death leaves Iran's strategy in tatters

From Arab News, by Ms Baria Alamuddin♠, 3 January 2020.

Here is an extracted paragraph plus one:

By killing Soleimani, the US has decapitated the principal agent of Tehran's strategy for regional hegemony, bringing an end to a long phase of Tehran-branded militancy dominated by the Quds Force commander personally.  No other global terrorist boasts Soleimani's longevity in overseeing thousands of paramilitary and terrorist attacks over at least four decades.  He lived by the sword and died a fitting death. His passing should not be mourned.

We are in uncharted territory.  How Tehran's regime chooses to respond in the coming days — either lashing out or withdrawing to lick its wounds — will have reverberations in the region for years to come.

This is one view and there are those who think it is rubbish, but it is a view and needs to be considered before we think we fully understand ongoing events.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Ms Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.