Mattis versus Trump

The United States primaries, which are intended to be the preparation for a confrontation between the Republicans and the Democrats, have progressively deviated to become a contest for the control of the Republican Party.

While on the side of the Democrats, the duel between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders may be resumed as experience in the service of the rich against idealism in the service of the greatest number, all attention is now focused on the combat opposing Donald Trump and Ted Cruz for the Republican nomination.

Cruz is a pure product of a private military «psychological operations» agency. In terms of foreign relations policy, he has gathered a team composed of people who were trained during the Cold War around senator Henry Scoop Jackson, and who remain hysterically anti-Soviet. He has taken position against any form of legal limitation of US power, and thus against the very principle of international law.

Until last week, we did not know Donald Trump’s position on this matter. At best, we had noted his contradictory remarks on the question of Israël. He has strongly criticised the pro-Israëli prejudice of successive administrations, declared that he is neutral concerning the Israëli-Palestinian conflict, and then went and made an ultra-Zionist profession of faith before the AIPAC.

Finally, Trump was invited last week by the The National Interest to give his first speech on foreign policy. This magazine is published by the Nixon Center, a group of survivors from Henry Kissinger’s old team. To everyone’s surprise – but probably not that of the organisaters - «the Donald» did not have anything to say about his position on various subjects, aimed at satisfying one lobby or another, but instead delivered an analysis of US policy and describing its total overhaul.

According to Trump, it was fundamental error to have attempted to export by force the Western democratic model to people who had no interest in it. He delivered a criticism of neo-conservative ideology, which has held power since the coup d’etat of September 11th 2001. Now we understand why the event was organised by the friends of Henry Kissinger, partisans of political «realism » (realpolitik) and scape-goats of the neo-conservatives.

After having denounced the gigantic human and economic waste of the neo-conservative policy, for the countries concerned as well as for the United States themselves, he continued with an indirect attack on the «military-industrial complex», blaming the general excess of weapons in the world. There was no mistake – for the first time since the assassination of John Kennedy, a presidential candidate was denouncing the omnipotence of the arms manufacturers, who have eaten up almost all of US industry.

It may seem surprising to make such an attack before the friends of Henry Kissinger, who have contributed more than others to the development of this complex. However, recent US history can explain this turnaround. All those who have fought the military-industrial complex have been gagged or eliminated - John Kennedy was assassinated when he opposed the war against Cuba; Richard Nixon was eliminated by the Watergate affair when he made peace with Vietnam and led the détente with China; Bill Clinton was paralysed by the Lewinsky affair when he attempted to oppose rearmement and the war in Kosovo.

With a certain sense of provocation, Donald Trump placed his project for a new foreign policy under the slogan «America First», by reference to the association of the same name which existed before the Second World War. This group remains in peoples’ memories as a Nazi lobby which attempted to prevent the «Land of Freedom» from going to the help of the British, who were under attack by the perpetrators of the anti-Jewish genocide. In reality, «America First», which was indeed diverted from its mission by the US extreme right, was originally a huge association created by the Quakers, and denounced the World War as a confrontation between imperialist powers, and consequently refused to take part.

And so the adversaries of Donald Trump are presenting him in a false light. He is absolutely not an isolationist like Ron Paul, but a genuine realist.

Donald Trump was not a politician until now, but a real estate promoter, a businessman and a television presenter. This absence of a political past allows him to envisage the future from an entirely new angle, without being bound by any previous engagement. He is a dealmaker, the sort that Europe met in Bernard Tapie in France and Silvio Berlusconi in Italy. Two men not without fault, but who renovated the exercise of power in their own countries by shaking up the ruling classes.

To block Donald Trump, the Republican Party organised an alliance between Ted Cruz and the last candidate in the running, the ex-television presenter John Kasich. Both of them have agreed to give up the Presidency and to work together to prevent Trump from obtaining the abolute majority of the Convention delegates. In this way, the Party would be able to propose a new candidate, as yet unknown to the public, during their Convention.

Confidential opinion polls have already been organised, funds collected, and a campaign team has been built around General James Mattis, a man who swears – cross my heart – that he has no plans for a political career. However, quite clearly, the ex-Director of CentCom would be happy to assume the role of a new Einsehower. Indeed, in 1952, the winner of the Second World War did not take part in the primaries because he was still commander of the Forces in Europe. He slipped into the competition almost at the end, and was massively nominated by the Republican Party Convention as their representative.

General Mattis is reputed to be an intellectual. He has collected a vast and celebrated private library on military strategy, but seems to be interested in History only from this perspective. Today a researcher at the Hoover Institution (Stanford University), he came to Washington to consult, and gave a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). This think-tank, traditionally close to the oil industry, is today mainly financed by Saudi Arabia.

After having predicted a «horrible» future for the Near East, the «warrior monk» (according to the nickname given to him by his subordinates) concentrated on denouncing the peril of the Iranian Revolution, and calling for war against Iran. By doing so, he took over the programme that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had been obliged to give up when faced with the objections of the other Generals.

De facto, the confrontation which is looming opposes the partisans of Henry Kissinger’s realpolitik - who are attached to the principles of the Peace of Westphalia, in other words an international order founded on the Nation-states – and the partisans of the neo-conservative ideal of global democratisation, in other words the destruction of national identities and the imposition of a régime of universal governance. In a word, it’s the vision of Richard Nixon against that of the putchists of the 11th September.

Keep in mind :
– Donald Trump, candidate for the US Presidency, wants to limit the power of the military-industrial complex. He is taking up the colours of John Kennedy (assassinated), Richard Nixon (Watergate) and Bill Clinton (Lewinsky).
– According to Trump, it is unhealthy for the United States and for foreigners to attempt to export by force the Western Democratic model, which does not correspond to their aspirations.
– The military-industrial complex is preparing the candidacy of General James Mattis, and a war against the Iranian Revolution.