Digest #1 - Netanyahu's Caliphate, Secularists laud the Pope & Trump tanks the markets (again!)
Netanyahu's Caliphate
As widely reported on social media and something not picked up by mainstream broadcasters some of the underlying motivation behind Netanyahu's genocide in Gaza has become more clear. With Netanyahu stating that “We will not accept the establishment of any caliphate on the Mediterranean coast …. “
It may seem odd that at a time that he seems to have the upper hand with the support of Trump that Netanyahu would be so concerned with what could possibly occur
Netanyahu is not the first leader to decry the possible return of the Caliphate.
Tony Blair speaking after the 7/7 attacks in London said
”They demand the elimination of Israel; the withdrawal of all westerners from Muslim countries, irrespective of the wishes of people and Government; the establishment of effectively Taleban states and Sharia law in the Arab world en route to one Caliphate of all Muslim nations.”
The “they” he was referring to would be any Muslim who didn’t ‘toe the line’ and had a gripe with Western foreign policy.
This opinion was aped by Blair’s then Home Secretary Charles Clark, in a speech to the Heritage Foundation in 2005
”However, there can be no negotiation about the re-creation of the Caliphate; there can be no negotiation about the imposition of Sharia law”
Once you add all of this up it makes sense that the attack dog of Western foreign policy in the Middle East would be so concerned about the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate.
We shouldn’t be fooled that Netanyahu’s or for that matter the Western world’s problem with the idea of Caliphate is driven some moral compass. The notion of an independent Caliphate would mean an end to the hegemony and free hand Netanyahu has enjoyed backed by the majority of the Western world.
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Secularists laud the Pope
The death of Pope Francis has brought mourning across the Catholic world, for his followers he was of course special. During his life he struggled to come to terms with how to guide his church through the vast numbers of challenges modern society throws at everyone. A major one being the position of the Catholic church on LGBT. Traditionally Christian values have rejected the notion of same sex relationships, after the Church of England accepted the idea, many feel that eventually the Catholic church will have to follow suit. Francis was seen as a reformer , albeit too slow for some and too fast for others.
One of the last people to meet the Pope was American Vice President JD Vance whom the Pope had openly crticised for having a lack of compassion due to his governments immigration policies.
It is striking that, in the West, where religion is in decline and religiosity is often viewed as a hindrance to one’s journey through life; the Pope has been so widely celebrated in death. Every news site seems to have numerous stories dedicated to the peace and tranquility the Pope brought to the world. In a secular world where politicians and the media openly attack Islam and Islamic practices , it is clear that celebrating the charcuterie of a man who is deemed palatable is fine, however ideas which offer an alternative way of life are seen as backward.
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Trump tanks the markets again
For those who follow football there is a famous clip of the then Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema telling fellow Frenchman Ferland Mendy to not pass to their teammate Brazilian Vinicius Junior . (clip can be seen here)
Benzema tells Mendy (in French)
“Brother don’t play to him. On my mother’s life. He is playing against us.”
It’s fair to say Vinicius was having a bad day and Benzema’s was questioning which side he was actually on.
The US public must understand how Benezema felt in that moment, everything Donald Trump does seems to hurt them. This not to say Trump is some delusional maverick who is out of control at the helm of Western civilisation but that the affect it has on the average John Doe in America is of little concern to him.
Having created global economic turmoil with his on off tariffs putting paid to thousands of US small business which relied on acquiring cheap goods from China and selling them on Amazon and Ebay.
By calling the head of the federal reserve a “loser” for not lowering interest rates , Trump created another slump in the markets. The notion that the confidence or lack thereof in an economy is based on what is affectively a Casino is another discussion for another time. However these loose statements by Trump show he has little concern for the the average man and more for his own personal and political interests.