Trump’s War Without Strategy: Why Iran May Come Out Stronger

I wrote in yesterday’s text that the expansion of Charlemagne’s empire "was possible because Charles was constantly at war and gave his enemies no time to recover." This came to my mind this morning when I read in the newspaper that the negotiations between Donald Trump and Iran’s leadership had come to nothing, because representatives of the latter had left the negotiation site.

However, the Americans had already received a new negotiation proposal, in which, according to Trump, Iran had "offered a lot, but not yet enough." Nor had he yet considered continuing the war.

In my view, this is foolish, because Iran’s tactics seem as if they were designed based on the history of Charlemagne’s empire. As a result—if and when it has survived the initial attack by the United States and Israel—the aim is to prolong the ongoing peace process in order to improve and develop its own military capability.

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Iran’s leadership is undoubtedly encouraged by the fact that although their army was hardly able to defend itself during last summer’s attack by the USA and Israel, it has during the current military operations been able to cause considerable destruction—especially in countries allied with the USA, but also to the U.S. Air Force. This shows that Iran’s Islamist leadership has the ability to enhance the combat capability of its own army and to survive the current attack, if given the opportunity.

It therefore remains to be seen what the final outcome of the war will be. Will it turn out to be the strengthening of Islamist Iran, rather than the rise of a more moderate government or even a democracy?

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That is why it has been sad to observe that Donald Trump clearly does not know world history and its lessons, but embarked on the war recklessly, without preparing for it to become bogged down in the way now seen. If this is the case, the greatest sufferers will be Iranian women, who will be subjected even more tightly to a medieval hell and killed if necessary.

But Iranians will not be the only ones to suffer; global security will also be among the losers. Iran has, after all, been known as the most significant driving force behind Islamic terrorism.

And there is no reason to doubt that it would continue on that path—indeed even more determinedly—if the political leadership of the United States and/or its military proves incapable of carrying its attack through to completion. In other words, the outcome of the war will be exactly what it currently appears to be.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Escalating Threats—and a Touch of Irony
Iran – The End of Theocracy or the Beginning of Civil War?
Donald J. Trump 

Finns Give Their Government a Green Light to Ban Face Coverings

According to a new public opinion survey, 54 percent of Finns support and 26 percent oppose banning face coverings in public places and public services. This view is especially common among supporters of the Finns Party (92%), the National Coalition Party (70%), the Centre Party (62%), and the Social Democrats (54%). Thus, only the supporters of the left-wing parties (the Greens and the Left Alliance) are, on the whole, opposed to such a ban.

In fact, support for banning face coverings among different parties is even higher than the figures above suggest. For example, 14% of National Coalition supporters did not express an opinion, meaning that only 15% of them opposed the idea. Moreover, among those Green Party supporters who did state a view, around one-third supported a ban on face coverings.

There are at least two main justifications for prohibiting face coverings. First, they complicate criminal investigations.

Second, wearing a face covering is not always voluntary, since in certain cultures women are forced to cover their faces against their own will. Therefore, a ban could promote gender equality and the rights of girls and women.

That is why I now ask whether Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s (NCP) government, together with the Social Democrats, could ensure that the will of the people on this matter is implemented as soon as possible. Drafting such a law should be fairly straightforward, as Finland could follow the example of countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, or France, where such bans are already in effect.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Managing Societal Change with a Growing Muslim Population
A young woman skiing in a swimsuit caused a controversy among women
Did police have the right to strip women

The original blogpost in Finnish:
Hallitus sai kansalta valtakirjan kasvojen peittämisen kieltämiselle

Zelensky Condemns Fico’s "Immoral" Support for Putin

In the Western world—particularly in Finland—people understand quite well what a Russian victory in Ukraine would entail. Unfortunately, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico seems to struggle with this understanding.

This can be inferred from his statement on social media, where he reported exchanging views in Moscow with Russia's dictator Vladimir Putin on "the military situation in Ukraine, possibilities for an early peaceful resolution of the war, and relations between Slovakia and Russia, which I intend to normalize."

According to Fico, his comments were a reaction to Ukraine's announcement that the country would not renew its agreement on the transit of Russian gas through its territory to the European Union. Angered by this, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyi issued a blunt accusation against Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico on another social media platform.

Zelensky claimed that Fico wants to help Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Zelenskyi added, "Mr. Fico even rejected compensation that would have facilitated the transition and eliminated dependence on Russian gas." He continued, stating that "Fico is funding, in this way, the suffering of Russians, and therefore Ukrainians "are losing people as a result of the war Putin started. For us, such assistance to Putin is immoral."

Zelensky’s perspective is one worth agreeing with. At the same time, one cannot help but wonder why on earth the people of Slovakia—a nation subjugated by the Soviet Union for half a century—have chosen Fico as their leader.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Message from Finland's President to Vladimir Putin
Western Nations Should Act Decisively On Two Fronts Against Russia
Anecdotes and Jokes About Vladimir Putin