Forever War

May 25 2025 The Guardian

Trump refuses to accept that for Netanyahu and Putin forever war is the only option

There is too much to lose in Ukraine and Gaza, for peace negotiations to succeed.

Netanyahu and his far-right cronies deny Palestinians the right to an independent state – the exact same right asserted by Israel’s founders. Likewise, Putin rejects the reality of Ukraine as a sovereign country….

And would-be peacemakers, especially the US president, Donald Trump, fail to grasp another visceral similarity: neither actually wants lasting peace. Forever war is their preferred option, their default setting. They depend for their survival on violence. If the fighting stops, they know they face a potentially ruinous reckoning.

What will people say in Rostov-on-Don, Omsk or Nizhny Novgorod when thousands of returning veterans let on what really happened at the front? How long may Putin last when Russia’s elites begin to total up the mind-boggling economic and social cost of his failed gamble? When peace comes, Netanyahu will face elections – and probable defeat. Jail time for alleged bribery and corruption could follow. The international criminal court will demand their surrender. Both could be down and out.

That’s why they fear peace.