The Ledeen Doctrine and the Neocons...

The announcement by US President Trump that he is 'very close' to an agreement with Iran is driving the Neocons crazy. John Bolton, a seasoned Neocon, argued in a post on his social media account on Sunday that the details of the plan reflected in the US media regarding the agreement seemed to be in Iran's favor. Bolton said, "If the news about the deal with Iran is true, the Ayatollahs will have won a significant victory."

Bolton, who served as National Security Advisor for a while during Trump's first term, was later fired from the White House by Trump. In a later statement about Bolton, Trump even used the words, "If I had listened to him, we would be in World War 5 or 6 right now."

An 'agreement for peace' is not in the Neocons' book. Neocons believe only in brute force. According to them, the US dictates, and its counterpart submits. Two thousand five hundred years ago, imperial Athens wiped out the population of the small island of Melos, even though it posed no threat to them.

The Athenians, demanding unconditional surrender from the Melians, used a phrase to the effect: "The strong do what they have the power to do, and the weak accept what they have to accept." This so-called negotiation between Athens and Melos passed into modern sources as the "Melian Dialogue."

This dialogue, found in the book of the ancient Athenian general Thucydides, is one of the holy texts of the American Neocons. Irving Kristol, known as the godfather of the Neocons, in an article in 2003, described Thucydides' history as the "favorite Neocon text." Let us recall that the article was published a few months after the US invasion of Iraq.

The darkest man among the Neocons, Jewish American Michael Ledeen, said in a speech in the early 1990s: "Every decade or so, the United States needs to pick up some small, unimportant country and smash it against the wall, just to show the world we're serious." Neocon writer Jonah Goldberg, while arguing for the need to attack Iraq in 2002, summarized Ledeen's views as the "Ledeen doctrine." US interventions, especially in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Venezuela, are seen as applications of this sinister doctrine.

According to Ledeen, who was at the center of many intrigues during the Cold War, the only thing that matters is not the casualties suffered, but losing the war. Today's Neocons also want the war to continue, not an agreement. Republican hawks are also uncomfortable with Trump's agreement plan. These hawks, who played a role in Trump's campaign with Israel to wage war on Iran, now strongly object to any agreement made without the elimination of the Iranian regime.

Senator Roger Wicker, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who argues that a 60-day ceasefire would be a disaster, said on his social media account: "All the gains obtained by Operation Epic Fury will be wasted." Senator Lindsey Graham argued that the realization of the agreement plan would shift the balance of power in the region in Iran's favor and against Israel. Graham said, "If these perceptions are correct, then it becomes a matter of curiosity why the war even started." According to Zionist publications, Senator Graham reflects Israel's concerns.

In his statement on Sunday, however, Graham praised Trump's plan and emphasized that Arab states in the region should sign the "Abraham Accords" with Israel. Graham warned that failing to do so would be "a great account of reckoning." Senator Ted Cruz also stated that he was deeply concerned by the news about the agreement.

Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of Defense during Trump's first term, said about the Iran plan: "It has nothing to do with the America First principle. The situation is quite clear: open that damn strait. Prevent Iran's access to money. Eliminate Iran's capabilities so that it cannot threaten our allies in the region. This should have been done long ago. Let's get started." Pompeo also said that Trump's plan looked like it came out of the playbook of the architects of the nuclear deal made during the Obama era.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, in a post on May 24, said: "Mike Pompeo has no idea what he's talking about. That idiot should shut his mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He has never understood the essence of what's going on, how could he?" Trump also said in his statement that people should not listen to those speaking against the agreement plan.

Will another country be targeted to appease the Neocons, who cannot do without war? Cuba, which has been living under a US embargo for a long time, has also been in Trump's sights for a while. Now that it has become clear that Iran is not Venezuela, will the new country to be smashed against the wall be Cuba?