At least Nauru is still with us ...

 

"  nine states – including the United States and Israel –voted against the resolution. The other countries which supported Washington were Togo, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Marshall Islands, Guatemala and Honduras."  Guardian

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(irony alert) So, Perfidious Albion has bitten the hand that fed them.  That's right isn't it?  No?  What about all that Spam we sent them when they ran out of crumpets?  What about that?  Why would Palau have voted on our side?  Ah, there must be some pot of Golden Grickels from which they sup, maybe something about a Jack London memorial pearl fishery or, something. (end of irony)

 

Nikki Haley, is a city girl flower of South Carolina politics.  Do you suppose that she may be learning that THE WORLD is harder to bully than a bunch of "good ole boys" who like to put Rebel flag decals on their pick-up trucks?

And then, there are the related spectacles of the Israeli UN ambassador sneering just now on the TeeVee at THE WORLD whilst Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Turkey and Egypt voted for the resolution.  I guess that means that they don't need the money badly enough to roll over when ordered. 

There will be no peace for Israel.  pl 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/21/united-nations-un-vote-donald-trump-jerusalem-israel

Comments

[Balint Somkuti, PhD]

This is a serious foreign policy blunder, and looks like no one else can be blamed for it other than Pres. Trump.

[Prem]

Nauru is a superpower of the bird poop industry.

They lost a ton of money in a Producers like scam involving a musical about Leonardo da Vinci.

[shepherd]

I'm sorry, but as a Nauru fan, and one of many I'm sure, I'm disappointed. I'd like to point out that the Nauru economy was once based largely on mining a thick layer of bird shit that had built up over the years. Since the bird shit was completely strip mined, the Nauru economy pivoted to make the country a world leader in the illegal download and money laundering industries. Being an environmental catastrophe, it has little in the way of fauna, but it does have a thriving population of mice and rats, which were transmitted there by boats that carried away all the bird shit. It is also one of the top countries in the world by body mass index. It is one tenth the size of Lichtenstein and has less than 10,000 citizens. With friends like that, who needs the UK.

[turcopolier]

shepherd

Perhaps they are hoping to be annexed by the US? pl

[Babak Makkinejad]

Nah.
Israelis know there is no peace to be had, Muslims and their governments are too weak, disorganized and incompetent to effectively wage war against Israel to recalim Al Quds - and know it too - and Trump knowd that they know that too. So he delivers on another one of his promises to those who elected him while such empty gestures at UN are made2

[ked]

There’s lotsa ways to exercise power. Public petulance isn’t one of the more clever ones. Will this line-in-the-sand be as impressive to pundits as Obama’s? Who’s lining up to be an apologist? It’s one thing to bow to Bibi, quite another to threaten everyone else on the planet & making a big show of it.

[DC]

Hard for me to proud of the country at times like this.

[outthere]

Poor Nauru.
Colonized and all its phosphate taken.
Population decreasing, only 11,000 people left.
90% unemployment, and 95% of those employed work for government.
Earned some $ and employment for awhile by accepting refugees that Australia refused to allow to immigrate.
Made some money by allowing money laundering for awhile.
Made some money for awhile by alternately recognizing Taiwan and China.
Highest rate of obesity and type 2 diabetes on earth.
So yes, I think Nauru government could be influenced to vote at UN anyway on anything.
Never been there, Makatea was bad enough.

[laguerre]

"So, Perfidious Albion has bitten the hand that fed them. That's right isn't it?"

Actually that's not irony (I presume stimulated by my recent comment on a previous thread). Britain has indeed sunk so low over the Brexit business that they are begging help from everybody. I was quite surprised that their historic policy was not nixed by Downing St.

But then, Britain is not in realist mode at the moment. The extremist ultras are in power. Or rather the situation is conflicted, and May cannot say no to them.

By the way, I don't believe Netanyahu wants peace. It would involve Israel making concessions. I rather liked Avi Shlaim's argument in "The Iron Wall" that they liked the first part of Jabotinsky's idea that Israel should construct an Iron Wall against the Arabs, but they never accepted the second part that they should use the Iron Wall to make a permanent peace. Of course, permanent war implies defeat in the end, when the power fails.

[J]

The Russian press refers to Niki Haley (Nimrata Randhawa) as the rouge waffle house waitress, waffle house bumpkin.

[laguerre]

"Of course, permanent war implies defeat in the end, when the power fails."

There's an argument that we're not that far off that situation. I was listening this morning to a radio programme about young Israelis and their conscription into the army. Some were willing and some were not. They wanted the normal life of a westerner.

Added to that, Hizbullah's arsenal of rockets, which Israel is afraid to face up to.

A few jihadis who get through, and Israelis could be looking for their second passports. It's not that far away.

[swami]

We need another base in the Pacific, right? Because, China.

We can send the military and foreign policy types spewing shit to Nauru--the island is used to it.

[Matthew]

My question is this: If Trump cuts of aid to Jordan, the PA, and Egypt, how quickly will Russia/China pick it up?

I wonder if the Russians want a naval base in Egypt?

Lots of Wingnut talk today about the US "getting out of the UN." Do these people think we will still be wielding vetoes if we leave?

Fun times.

[turcopolier]

swami

Nauru should beg to be a base for the US military. We treat our pets well. pl

[Yeah, Right]

I wonder if the Israeli's ever consider the wisdom of encouraging an President to threaten to strip aid money from counties that won't do as they are told.

After all, if they ever piss off President Michelle Obama then there is $3billion that she can hold oved their head.....

[outthere]

Not sure you are serious . . .
Never been there, but i hear there is not a decent/safe harbor anywhere on Nauru.
Also, Guam and Okinawa are both better locations to confront China and DPRK.

[laguerre]

"Israelis know there is no peace to be had, Muslims and their governments are too weak, disorganized and incompetent to effectively wage war against Israel to recalim Al Quds".

You are wrong there, although you are Iranian, and should know. The popular enthusiasm for al-Quds is enormous, and governments have to obey.

[JJackson]

What happens if the US builds a shiny new embassy but we perfidious Albions, and almost everyone else, will not go there? Nauru might visit for the base signing foto-op but it would be a quiet place to work. Perhaps a compromise site of lesser religious significance - I believe they IDF have kindly pre-cleared a number of sites in Gaza City that might suit and I am sure the locals would be warm and cuddly.

[English Outsider]

Colonel,

It is possible that some European UN votes were cast less out of concern for the Palestinians than out of fear of upsetting resident Muslims.

On the other hand it is also the case that even amongst the progressives here, particularly amongst younger people, Israel is now less well-supported than it was.

Babak's view of Israel as an American Fort Apache in the ME is further confirmed.

Nevertheless might I again put forward a contrarian position? Trump has in reality given the Israelis nothing they did not already have. He has alienated the proxies and Arab allies and for almost the first time the knee-jerk support of the UK and the Europeans for the Western neo-con ME interventions has faltered. Turkey has been given a further push. None of this is consistent with continued attempts to remove or damage Assad.

Trump has also satisfied that part of his electoral base that regards support for Israel as a priority. AIPAC and the Jewish voters must profess to be satisfied as well, though I'd imagine they'll be waiting to find out whether this was a Greek gift or not. If Trump does pull back from the destabilisation or segmentation of Syria they will not be happy but will find it difficult to say so.

That's because the cards are now on the table. The justification for the attack on Syria to us, the American and European electorates, was always R2P. The Israelis and the Israeli lobby cannot now turn round and say to those electorates that it was done for Israeli interests and therefore must continue.

The cards are now on the table in Israel itself. The Palestinians will presumably no longer be satisfied with corrupt or self-seeking leaders and will demand that their leaders represent them. Vichy type compromises are now less acceptable.

Therefore there is a chance, maybe slim but it's there, that Trump's Jerusalem Declaration may have opened the way to his honouring of his election promises.

[Richardstevenhack]

Meanwhile, the word is now that Trump is preparing to "bloody North Korea's nose."

CONFIRMED: US ‘preparing to attack’ North Korea
Daily Telegraph claims US engaging in advanced planning for military strike against North Korea
http://theduran.com/us-preparing-attack-north-korea/

Unreported is whether Trump and South Korea are prepared to handle North Korea's "bloody nose" retaliation against South Korea and/or US forces there, which is certain. And that's if North Korea limits their retaliation, which they might not.

This will leave Trump with no option but to escalate to full-scale invasion.

And then we'll have China to deal with.

[J]

Colonel,

Speaking of pets, Russia is expanding its Tartus base to a full permanent naval base.

Also Russia is keeping their Air base permanent.

Their reasoning just in case the ISIS terrorists raise their heads.

[JMH]

What the hell, let's just go to war with our allies.

[FourthAndLong]

May is slated to be in Poland tomorrow and announce a major new defense collaboration with the Poles. Bilateral, I heard, but not sure.

[Bill Herschel]

"There will be no peace for Israel. pl "

As if Israel wanted peace. When you're using colonial troops to fight your wars and the colony is supporting you (think John Company), you definitely don't want peace. The Raj is doing very, very well these days, thank you, and there is very little unrest. Where's the problem?

NK does not fit the parallel. It is the interesting case. Just can't believe the Raj would jeopardize his elephants and jewels for NK. Can't believe it. Won't happen.

Name a single country that will go to war over Jerusalem. Saddam Hussein would have, but he met with an unfortunate end. Turkey? To paraphrase Kellie Pickler, "I heard of Hungary, but I never heard of Turkey."

[Serge]

Agreed, there will be no peace for Israel, but the decisive question is who will prevail, the current Iranian-Persian civilization order or the Liver eaters. By my infinitely amenable knowledge of ME history, I will put money on the Liver eaters, maybe not in my lifetime, but definitely in my children's and my children's child