THE UN, ANTI -SEMITISM and OBAMA, NETANYAHU, TRUMP

The United Nations, once again, was the proxy battleground between the Israelis and the Palestinians. What is left of Obama’s America cut loose from its protective role of Israel by failing to use its veto on Security Council Resolution 2234 condemning Israeli settlements. The Obama action was denounced by the almost POTUS Trump tweeting that the world was about to change - so Bibi just stick around a while longer. Netanyahu, predictably, went ballistic to the point of losing it. From the ensuing reaction from both within and without the United Nations there is little doubt that this resolution will have a profound impact in the transforming world that was witness to it. 

The resolution once again focused on the UNO preoccupation with Israel and once again brings into focus the viability of the world body in the new Trump world. It also once again focussed attention of the specter of anti semitism which abomination is once again sweeping across the world. Predictably 2234 has stirred up passions in Israel between those who agree that the settler policy of Netanyahu is counterproductive, immoral and illegal and the majority who claim it is the right of the Israeli nation. Ironically, there is very little new in the resolution - America has always been against the settlements. What has irked is the inclusion of the Western Wall and East Jerusalem as being “illegal”, the failure to mention Hamas terrorism and the fact that America failed, (not for the first time), to veto a resolution against Israel.

UN’S SECRETARY GENERAL ACKNOWLEDGES ANTI ISRAEL BIAS

While the passage of Resolution 2234 raised a host of questions about the motives and culpability of all the players, the modus operandi of the UNO lends itself to bias and dysfunction. The latter fact was acknowledged by no lessor person than the outgoing Secretary General of the World Body, Bang Ki - moon who stated in a devastating interview:

“The UN’s anti Israel bias has foiled the ability of the UN to fulfill its role. The anti Israel bias exuded has detrimentally effected the way the organization handles international affairs. The number of resolutions passed by the organization have disproportionately gone against Israel. Over the last decade, I have argued that we cannot have a bias against Israel at the UN. Decades of political maneuvering have created a disproportionate number of resolutions, reports and committees against Israel. In many cases, instead of helping the Palestinian issue, this reality has foiled the ability of the UN to fulfill its role effectively.” 

Bang Ki-moon, who throughout his ten year term epitomized the double standards he was bewailing, but for whatever reasons, has told it as it is,

FACTS SUPPORT ANTI ISRAEL BIAS

Now it didn’t need the Secretary General to tell it as it is as the output of the UN Assembly speaks for itself. In 2105 the General Assembly passed twenty - three resolutions condemning nations’ actions and twenty of them were against Israel. Between 1947 and 1991 there were over 300 Assembly Resolutions against Israel. No other nation other than the apartheid South African regime has come remotely close to that infamy. In the last 10 years the General Assembly censored Israel two hundred and twenty three times and Syria eight times. Since Israel’s inception in 1947 till 2010 the UN Security Council aimed seventy - seven resolutions at it. This story repeats itself in related UN Committees and Bodies. One of the ironies is that Israel and not Syria, Russia or Iran for example that is being investigated for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

So the Secretary General’s contention of UNO bias against Israel is supported by the facts.

IS THE UNO ATTITUDE ANTI SEMITIC?- SACKS ON ANTI SEMITISM

Former Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the internationally recognized religious leader who has been accorded numerous awards, including the prestigious Templeton prize, (the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in the spiritual domain), has a theory as to the causes of anti semitism throughout the ages. He outlines this in his recent best seller, “Not In God’s Name - Confronting Religious Violence”, where he endeavors to defuse the chasm between the Islamic and the Abrahamic religions and to provide an answer to religious inspired terrorism. 

The celebrated rabbinical author maintains that anti semites never admit to being such. Rather they use some justification or argument that has as the objective of the elimination of Jews. He argues that anti semitism has mutated through the ages. Initially it was on the basis of religion, so if the Jewish heathens converted to Christianity or Islam they were “saved” and not slaughtered. Then came prejudice based on social Darwinism - race. Here there was no salvation as Hitler’s death camps illustrated. The “cure” for the inferior race, which was responsible for all the ills of the world, was its elimination. Sacks believes that anti semitism has now mutated to attack those who allegedly abrogate and violate human rights and/or perpetrate crimes against humanity. Thus attacks on Israel are justified by equating Zionism with racism and apartheid, for example.

Israel and Israel alone of the one hundred and ninety - three Nation States of UNO, is systematically attacked and charged with perpetrating these atrocities against mankind. Israel is, inter alia, repeatedly assailed as having no right to be a nation, allegedly having usurped the land belonging to others. (Hypocritically, Iran’s repeated threat to wipe Israel of the face of the earth does not merit Assembly opprobrium). The Israelis are said to be guilty of the most heinous crimes against humanity often likened unto those of apartheid South Africa and even of Nazi Germany. 

So the hypothetical argument of the one hundred and ninety - three nations in the UNO as to why they single out Israel might be, “We are not anti semitic we are just upholding what is right in terms of nation hood and crimes against humanity.” (By way of clarification the former Chief Rabbi has not in any of his writings labelled the UNO as an anti semitic organization).

OPPOSITION TO NETANYAHU IS NOT ANTI SEMITISM

Sacks states the obvious, as does any rational person, that disagreeing with policies of the Israeli government does not constitute anti semitism. In fact one way or another about forty percent of the Israelis oppose Netanyahu.  Opposition Knesset members have blamed Resolution 2234 on Netanyahu’s arrogance rather than on anti semitism. Netanyahu is Premier by virtue of a coalition. His Likud Party  won only thirty of the one hundred and twenty seats in the most recent election. The leader of the opposition party, Zionist Union, twenty - four seats, chastised the Premier saying his foreign policy was in tatters. Opposition party, Yash Atid’s leader Lapid, nineteen seats, criticized Bibi  arguing that his response to 2234 was hysteria not policy.  The left wing newspaper Haaretz have run stories with the heading,”Its the Settler Policy Stupid”. 

So the smear so often used by pro Netanyahu supporters in the diaspora that opposition to the Premier is anti Israel is patent nonsense.

THE DRAMATIS PERSONAE IN THIS SECURITY COUNCIL  RESOLUTION 2234.

None of the players in this latest unfolding drama have come out with enhanced reputations. 

Bibi Netanyahu who has behaved deplorably having baited Obama up the ying yang adding his usual insults to injury to the outgoing POTUS calling him a liar to boot. (From POTUS Clinton onward there has been no love lost towards the Israeli Premier). In Netanyahu’s initial appeal to have the resolution aborted he snubbed Obama and went straight to Trump. Obama recently engineered a ten year payment to Israel of over thirty - eight billion dollars and paid for the defensive dome and then repairs to it.  Bibi reciprocated by openly canvassing, with the Republicans, in Congress, against the POTUS administration, on the Iran pact. Netanyahu is similarly disliked at the world body for his demeaning attitude to representatives of the nation states. In his last address to the Assembly he mocked  the participants saying because of Israel’s prowess very soon they will be instructed to vote differently. 

Bibi’s biggest fear is that on January 15, 2017  when, in Paris, the foreign ministers of seventy countries meet to discuss an Israeli - Palestinian peace the outcome will be further Security Council resolutions pressuring him to stop the settlements and pursue peace. He is responding by upping the anti with bluster, threatening those that voted in favor of 2234. He genuinely believes that Israel has so much to offer that at the end of the day all the nations will accept anything he does.

There is the distinct impression that Obama, who has otherwise opted out of the world, is using this issue as payback. This notwithstanding the fact that Obama has, as Netanyahu has acknowledged, provided "unprecedented" security support. With this veto Barak not only put the majority of Democrats in a bind, he has associated himself with the bias and dysfunction of the United Nations. He has weakened those forces within Israel that are striving against all odds for a two State solution as he has given red meat to Netanyahu to rally his base. All in all not Obama's finest moment and if it is shown that he did indeed caucus the motion then it will be an indelible stain.

As for Trump he was just Trump and had no shame in acting as President before January 20, 2017. As regards Israel, in spite of his professed undying commitment, the latter stance is incongruent with his support for Putin and his Iran axis, (Blog: Israel, Trump, Putin and the New Right). Nor does it jive with the overt anti semitism of the world wide populist movement which he claims he will lead. Trump professed to be canvassing like crazy in support of Israel to prevent this current resolution. If so he really needed to make only one phone call to his newest best friend Vladimir Putin and ask him to veto it. 

SO WHERE IS EVERYTHING AT NOW?

* While it is painfully obvious that the United Nations are not going to play a role in the resolution of the Palestinian conflict one wonders what Netanyahu’s end game is? Carrying on with settlements is a sure fire message that he is not really interested in negotiating a peace. At the same time Hamas, which is really calling the Palestinian shots has not shown the slightest inclination to end this impasse. While there are large constituencies in Israel that are campaigning for peace if similar support exists on Hamas’s side they are not evident. One fact for sure, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, is that if this stalemate continues Israel remains in a permanent state of war. 

* Now Donald Trump believes he can sort this out - “The Art of the Deal” and all that. He feels he can negotiate a settlement which Hamas has made it painfully obvious it does not want. In addition, at kindest, Trump is unreliable and has conflicting agendas to an unconditional support of Israel.

* There is a pressing argument that the UN’s focus on Israel for the past half a century is a new form of anti semitism. Obviously the penny dropped for outgoing Secretary General Bang Ki - moon. Those just blindly advocating that Israel has no right to exist and claim they are not anti semitic might well rethink their logic. 

• It would appear logical to at least obtain a commitment that Hamas agrees to a two state solution and wish to negotiate before holding endless meetings throughout the world to effect one. 

• There is an imperative for the Israeli Prime Minister to question his need to create settlements in territory, which by his own admission is “disputed”. In the process he should cool it as his histrionics will get him nowhere.

* Kerry made an eloquent last ditch stand for a two state solution. He believes failure will result in permanent war and a permanently "occupied" Palestine. He outlined what in fact was the Israeli opposition's arguments against the Netanyahu Settler dominated policy. While his gloomy assessment is sadly spot on Jay H. Ell is not quite sure how this justified the US vote. As frustrated as he was Kerry might have been more persuasive had the wording of the Security Council's missive been more evenhanded. 

* Obama's USA has one final bite of the cherry in Paris on January 15, 2017.

ISRAEL, TRUMP, PUTIN AND THE NEW RIGHT.

From the get go Israel’s Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, was over the moon at Donald Trump’s unexpected Presidential victory. He could barely contain himself when he confided to “Sixty Minutes” that he knew that Trump felt warmly towards Israel. As the weeks have progressed, on its face, the Holy Land's situation has only gottten better. Netanyahu has maintained that the scenario lends itself to “historic changes”. Gone will be the irritating pressures on settlement expansion that were a constant source of friction with the Obama administration. 

From Jerusalem’s point of view there have been assurances that the US Embassy will move to Jerusalem and even the suggestion that America may well back the annexation of the Golan Heights, Then there is the unqualified backing of Israel in its ongoing war with Palestine. No more angst as to whether the American administration might not be fully behind Israel at the Security Council. To make matters even more rosy Trump has the same feelings about Iran and the deal as the Israeli leader and has vowed to undo it. So what can go wrong?

Jay H.Ell, however, believes that there are many contradictions in the changing stances that have flowed from Trump’s stream of consciousness that might hinder the Holy Land’s nirvana.

TRUMP’S ELECTION PROMISES CAN BE UNRELIABLE

At the outset if the news hasn’t hit the Jewish State yet, Presidential Advisor, Kellyanne Conway, the chief interpreter of what Trump really means, has warned that what Trump says is not necessarily what he means. Pillars of his winning campaign manifesto, such as that beautiful wall that Mexico was going to pay for and the deportation of eleven million Hispanics are already lying in the dustbin of history. Retractions of his Presidential winning rhetoric are daily occurrences, the latest being his oft repeated line, “I am going to drain the swamp”. According to one of his chief campaign surrogates, Newt Gingrich, he has discarded it because he is now in the real world of Washington politics. Gingrich maintained, “He now says it was cute, but he doesn’t want to use it anymore”.

 However, for argument sake let us accept that Israel is very near and dear to his heart. As his American Jewish supporters keep reminding, “He has after all got Jewish grandchildren”. His professed commitment to the tiny Middle East Jewish nation state may just be the real deal. If that is the case what can be the problems?

TRUMP UNAMBIGUOUS ABOUT PUTIN AND WORLD RIGHT WING MOVEMENT

There are foreign policy positions that Trump has been equally totally unambiguous, consistent and transparent about throughout the campaign that may come into conflict with his Israeli position. He is totally committed to Putin and Putin’s mother Russia. In addition,The Donald has gone to lengths to identify with the right wing populism that is sweeping across Europe and Scandinavia. To further consecrate their marriage made in heaven, he and Putin are ad idem in support of the new worldwide nationalistic xenophobic development. Russia, in fact, convened a world wide right wing conference in Saint Petersburg last year. Trump, in an interview to the extreme right wing internet newspaper Breitbart News, where his own Stephen Bannon was editor prior to becoming Trump’s right hand man,  proclaimed that he was now the leader of this worldwide populist movement.  All of these new groupings have as their centerpiece policy, opposition to Immigration, specifically that from Muslim countries. 

Stephen Bannon is Trump’s chief advisor and Senior Counsellor. For argument sake let us accept that he is not an anti semite even though he has a large anti semitic following. However, he is heavily into the agenda of Europe’s far right having, for example, referred to the French National Front politician Marian Marchel - Le Pen as “the new rising star”. Trump’s Security Advisor, Michael Flynn is only second in influence to Bannon in the hierarchy. While he also mouths undying support for the Jewish State, he met the leader of the Austrian Freedom Party which was founded by self confessed neo Nazis. Strache gave the Austrian establishment a shock by gaining the most votes in the first round in the Presidential election. He was beaten in the run off. Strache has signed a formal pact with Russia. Trump himself is very close to Nigel Farage the mastermind behind the British Brexit vote which was considered to be the United Kingdom manifestation of the worldwide right wing populist wave. Farage is an advisor to Trump and the President elect went as far as to suggest to the British Administration that they appoint him as Ambassador to the UK. They declined this interference in their domestic affairs.

So up to time of going into print Trump and his team, allied  with Putin, are ready to endorse, ally and lead the new emerging populist right wing European movement.

TRUMP’S RIGHTWING ALLIANCE HAS ALREADY CONFLICTED WITH ISRAELI POLICY.

It is thus not unreasonable to conclude that Trump is in an unholy alliance with Putin to create a new worldwide right wing alliance which Trump hopes to lead. Now most of these European Right Wing populist movements couple their anti Muslim stance with anti semitism and already one such instance has stood in the way of a meeting between Israel and a highly placed member of the Trump transition team. The Times of Israel reported that a meeting had been arranged between Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Tzipi Hotovely, and a group of international lawmakers. When Hotovely learned that the anti semitic Swedish member of the European Parliament, Kristina Winberg, was part of the deputation, she refused to allow her to the briefing. Whereupon the whole group, including Becky Norton Dunlop, Deputy to the Senior Advisor to the Trump transition, team cancelled the meeting in protest. 

 It is scary that Ms Norton stuck to her alliance with Ms. Winberg at the expense of Trump’s number one ally. It is impossible that this issue and others similar and even more significant will not arise again and again. The European groups are in several instances overtly anti semitic and are sickening reminders of holocaust Europe. 

Trump has not thought through the implications of several of his other policy stances that impact Israel.

IRAN, TRUMP AND PUTIN

Trump blazed away that the Iranian accord was the worst deal imaginable and told AIPAC, the influential Israel lobby group, “My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran… this deal is catastrophic for America, for Israel and for the whole of the Middle East….we’ve rewarded the world’s leading state sponsor of terror with a $150 billion and we received absolutely nothing in return…believe me.  Oh believe me….” The Donald then spent a large part of his speech outlining the evils of Iran and what he was going to do about it. 

There are very few American politicians including antagonists to the Iran Pact that believe that Trump will carry out his  “number one priority”. In addition the EU is shouting the odds warning against tampering with the arrangement. Then his newest best friend, Vladimir V. Putin is joined at the hip with Iran. Russia and Iran are solely responsible for propping up Assad and for the deplorable human tragedy that Syria has degenerated into. Putin wants Iran in a new Euroasian and Russian trading alliance. He refers to Iran as “Russia’s long time partner”. 

The Russian dictator left no doubt as to where he stood on the Iranian nuclear deal of which he was a co signatory. “We believe that bilateral relations will benefit from the reduction of tensions around Iran following the comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.” Putin has loaned Iran $2.5 billion for infrastructure improvement. Russia and Iran are involved in extensive cooperation and deals. So there is no way that Putin is going to go along with weakening his most powerful ally in his ambition to become a real contender on the world stage.

As far as Jay H. Ell is concerned it is just a question of how Trump rationalizes his disengagement from his promise to AIPAC and his “number one priority”.

TRUMP’S ISRAELI AMBASSADOR 

Israel needs Trump’s Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, like a hole in the head. He is right of Ghengis Khan and Netanyahu does not need his right wing to get anymore encouragement, ostensibly from someone representing the policy of Israel’s most powerful ally and patron. Friedman, already a player in Israeli politics, has served notice that he is going to be active in the day to day Israeli controversies. More important to Netanyahu is that Friedman has declared war on the majority of American jews. He has smeared the liberal group, most of whom voted for Hillary, as worse than the despised jewish Nazi colloborators, the kapos, thereby unleashing a storm. He has labelled Obama an antisemite. If Trump is really serious about a two state solution then he can kiss it good bye with Friedman because he is obviously dead against it and he hardly engenders confidence in the “Palestinian other side”.

So Friedman, if his nomination holds, could land Netanyahu in unenviable dilemmas. He is slap bang on the wrong side of an American Jewish split as seventy five percent of them voted for Hillary. Bennett and Lieberman just to mention a few of the right wing Knesset members will have more grease to their elbow with Friedman sounding off and Netanyahu’s coalition is very brittle to say the least. Maybe Bibi can whisper in Sheldon Adelson’s ear to tell Trump to find someone less disruptive to his task of governing Israel.

ALL MUSLIMS ARE NOT THE SAME

Trump’s position that regards Muslims as a homogenous entity is unbelievably naive. He, apparently, has no idea of the gross cleavages, religious and political, that exist amongst the over one billion Muslims. He regards them all, including those residing in America, as potential terrorists. Nor does he have a clue as to the way the 132 Muslim nations line up. Netanyahu is heavily in with the Sunni Arab Gulf bloc in addition to Egypt and Jordan. Then countries in the Pacific rim and in Africa with Muslim populations are moving closer and closer to the Israeli nation. Overtures have been muted for diplomatic relations with the country with the biggest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia. India, which has the second most Muslims in a nation, is improving its relations with Israel daily. Then Netanyahu’s much publicized visits to oil rich Muslim central Asia countries Azerbaijan and Kazakstan have opened up yet another vista of Muslim cooperation. So to say the least Bibi's opinion of the Muslim community is much more nuanced. 

All this contrasts with Trump’s populist racist grandstanding against Muslims. Jerusalem will have to keep its distance to hang on to its hard earned diplomatic successes which are obviously based on trust built over many years. The only Muslim entity to welcome the blue collar billionaire’s bombast is ISIS who is using the Trumpian outbursts as a recruiting tool. Their giddiest dream is that Trump by declaring war on all the Muslims will drive them into the ISIS camp. To coin a phrase, “What will they have to lose”?

AT THE END OF THE DAY…

Clumsy Trump may not turn out to be the political windfall some of the Israelis believe that he will be. Israel has long maintained that it is the pillar of democracy, free speech, judicial independence and tolerance in the Middle East. They should not for a moment desert those values for the questionable short term gain of a Trump Presidency. 

Israel should get ready for the Trump roller coaster ride that the Americans have buttoned down for.

Trump has not as yet indicated how he is going to cope with his conflicting foreign policy positions. 

TRUMP AND PUTIN: GOP PATRIOTISM OR PARTISANSHIP?

There is a thin redline standing between a major change in the philosophy by which America conducts its foreign policy which in turn reflects its own basic values. (America since its inception has stood for the values of democracy and freedom and in the twentieth century defended these concepts globally at the expense of vast quantities of blood and treasure.) 

There are very few areas where Trump is transparent and unambiguous. Putin’s Russia is one of them. Trump is moving from every direction, systematically and comprehensively to align America with the totalitarian  Russia. He has articulated that in so doing it could well be at the expense of NATO which recently gained insurmountable ascendency with the affiliation of several of the former USSR countries who were finally shot of Soviet hegemony.

 The only block to this transformation in American foreign policy is the Republican Congressional Membership who now have the choice between patriotism to every principle America claims to stand for or partisanship in the hope that Trump is more good than bad for their brand.

PUTIN A FASCIST

Putin is an unashamed imperialistic amoral dictator. He has clamped down on press freedom in Russia and is said to be responsible for the murder of journalists. He has put opposition leaders  behind bars in show trials reminiscent of the KGB of the old USSR. In short he is not about to introduce the US Bill of Rights into Russia. He will stick to the model he knows best, totalitarianism run by political police. He has first hand experience of this paradigm. 

He has violated every international norm first mercilessly "retaking" Chechnya in a manner similar to his egregious conduct in Aleppo - with scant respect for life or limb leaving a trail of death, destruction and misery.  He invaded Ukraine and took procession of Crimea. He currently has troops or proxies in Eastern Ukraine. As a sideshow he has to accept responsibility for the downing of a civilian plane where there were no survivors.

Putin’s behavior is unbelievable in the modern day era and has evoked worldwide sanctions with the United States the leader in this endeavor. The Russian dictator has made it clear that he couldn’t care less what the world thought of his morality. He is attempting to become a world power again although he is stripped of Russia’s former empire and his economy is now the size of Italy’s.

There is only one way he can return to the major league - being an obnoxious bully in the Middle East on its own just won't cut it- and that is by becoming allied with the USA on his, Putin's, terms. And this is what he has set out to do. As it turns out, he has in this quixotic endeavor, inexplicably to the sane, the support of the President elect of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump!

PUTIN AND TRUMP IN THE 2016 USA PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

Throughout the campaign Trump made it quite clear that he admired Putin, who was a “strong leader”. He was far better than President Obama. In addition he signaled, notwithstanding the current American position on Russia as an international rogue, that, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we got along with Russia”. He backed off supporting the USA’s treaty commitments to its NATO allies. Inter alia he put a price on defending the Free World from Russian tyranny telling them to pay more for defence or else…. He even publicly called upon Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s e mails!

As evidence mounted in the campaign that Russia was hacking e mails of his opponent and the Democratic Party, he retreated, as he so often does, into his alternate reality claiming steadfastly that there was no proof that the Russians were responsible. It could be some 400 pound guy on a bed he offered. Even now he denies what is obvious to the world. In spite of the seventeen security agencies that are ad idem on the subject coupled with daily detailed revelations, he sticks to his story that no one knows whether it is the Russians.

So two facts are incontrovertible: 

Trump supports Putin and wants to normalize relationships with Russia which must include the lifting of sanctions. 

Everyone agrees, except Trump, that Putin conducted cyber espionage against America during the Presidential campaign and that the only possible outcome was the assistance to Trump in his victory.

GOP RESPONSE

It has been a pitiful to watch the parade of obsequious Republican political leaders crawl in and out of Trump Towers to kiss his ring. In return Trump has humiliated them pretending that they are back in favor. The metaphor for the almost total volte face of those who mercilessly attacked him during the election is in the story of Romney. The latter lead the “The Stop Trump” campaign calling him a con man, fake, phony and a fraud in addition he provided a detailed list as to why he was ineligible to be President. When Mitt was predictably humiliated by not being appointed Secretary of State he responded how honored he was to have been considered!

Notwithstanding all that, there still needs to emerge from the ranks of the Republican Congressmen those that will oppose the selling out of American cherished values. Specifically they need to act on three issues, promptly:

• Response to Russian espionage to interfere with the election of the American President: Thus far there has been support for at least hearings on the subject. However, this is coupled with non acceptance of the CIA conclusion that the interference was directed at getting Trump elected. They could still pretend that they don’t know if Putin really preferred Trump to Hillary but in the appointment of an independent panel, similar to the 9/11 group they could allow the chips to fall. Should the panel determine what is obvious to all and sundry, that Russia cconducted espionage, then they should increase sanctions on Russia or enact some other appropriate response.

• Not ratify Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Tllierson:  The Exxon CEO has a very close relationship for two decades with, guess who, Vladimir V. Putin. According to Time Magazine In 2011 Tillerson concluded a comprehensive deal with a Russian State run Energy giant Rosneft, which deal was consummated in Putin’s dacha in Sochi. In 2013 good old Vlad awarded him Russia’s “Order of Friendship”. The latter is awarded to nationals and foreigners for, inter alia, furthering international relations and for charitable donations. According to the NY Times Exxon has donated to many Russian programs. Exxon has billions of dollars of contracts with Russia that can only go forward if America lifts its sanctions. Not surprisingly Tillerson called for the lifting of sanctions in 2014.

• Under no circumstances allow the current sanctions against Russia to be lifted: Russia and America are on opposite sides in the Syrian civil war as well as the moral divide. The former is fighting for the murderous Bashar al Assad and America is supporting the rebels. Russia has just assisted Assad in a genocidal attack on Aleppo, a rebel stronghold, which resulted in the slaughter of thousands of civilians. The battle is continuing as Trump pursues his nomination of “Friend of Russia” , Tillerson, as Secretary of State.

If George Orwell had written this they would have said this time he had gone too far.

WHAT CHANCE GOP WILL ACT?

Sooner or later this Trump reality show will have to end. His ethical dilemmas with extensive interests, according to CNN, in twenty -  five countries, make every decision he makes open to question, not to mention the controversies his local holdings will provoke. However the pantomime, which will destroy the very fabric of American values, cannot come to a halt unless some Republicans act patriotically and forget their partisan roles for the moment. 

Thus far there appears to be agreement that hearings be held on the Russian hacking but the underlying assumption is that Putin only effected the hacking to mess the system up and not to support Trump. Even that is good enough as how can America normalize relations with a country that actively interfered with its electoral process?

More urgently Tillerson needs to be blocked. He has a ton of Exxon shares that will go through the roof should the sanctions be lifted. So at the very least he has conflict of interest  written all over him. But as Secretary of State what deal can he do that will undo Aleppo? What deal can he negotiate that will wipe out the interference of Russia in American elections? To be naive, what experience has he in diplomacy as opposed to deal making? The latter has no morality attached to it, only profit.

Thus far only John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Marc Rubio have registered what is at stake here - the very basis of the American Republic. They need to be joined by several more Republicans. If not who knows where this will all end. The longer Trump is on the rampage the greater the damage and ultimately he too has to implode. Then there will be no American winners of the 2016 American Presidential Election only a Russian - Vladimir V. Putin. 

AT THE END OF THE DAY

Just as an aside Putin will make mincemeat out of Trump. He operates in a different orbit. Trump, born with a golden spoon in his mouth, was baptized in the world where there is a recognized structured system that you can take on with armies of lawyers. Putin’s initiation is Lenin and Stalin’s KGB where with one mistake you are dead. He survived that and played ball, biding his time, during Russia’s brief flirtation with democracy. His value system is not only money it is more about power, empire building and survival. You lose out in the KGB you cannot declare bankruptcy and start all over again, “believe me”.

AMERICA IN TRUMP LA LA LAND

In the Trump surreal world that America has stumbled into words no longer have any meaning. Jay H. Ell, normally a political junkie, is numbed into waves of disinterest. What is the purpose of debate when, to paraphrase, Alice in Wonderland, “Words don’t mean what they say?" The Trump alternate reality operates side by side with the real reality. Appointments are being made in real life while at the same time everything that was said on the way to the Presidency and thereafter is not necessarily so. The campaign disinformation and fake news has not stopped with the Trump victory. The situation is such that no serious journalist or commentator is remotely interested in “insider” information from the Trump camp because it has as much chance of being valid and reliable as are his public announcements, which is zilch.

TRUMP REALITY

Society is left to guess what is for real and what is not. The fact that President Elect Trump continues with the alt reality means that it is the new normal. Examples include; 

Interpreting his two and a half million vote deficit, he bragged that, “He won in a landslide if you exclude the millions that fraudulently voted for Hillary”; 

Hillary, who was never even indicted for a security breech and whom The Donald claimed was the greatest security risk ever, is juxtaposed, without a blush, by the promotion of David Petraeus onto his shortlist for Hillary’s former position, Secretary of State. Petraeus, who is still under parole supervision, was convicted for sharing highly classified State Secrets with his mistress and biographer; 

The blue collar populist, worker’s candidate has appointed more billionaires to his Administration than any in history. The Administration consists of billionaires and generals who know less than him, "believe me"; 

With unemployment at a record low and with Obama having created fifteen million jobs, a million of which are manufacturing jobs, Trump by saving a thousand manufacturing jobs at the Carrier Company, (make that eight hundred at the last count), using a method he castigated on the stump - tax payer funds - “has turned the corner for restoring jobs to America”. All to which Chuck Jones, the Head of the Union that represents the Carrier responded,  "Trump and Governor Pence pulled a dog and pony show" and he,Trump, lied his arse off.

Trump and his daughter Ivanka spent, an apparently productive, few hours with Al Gore who is the face of the danger to the planet of climate change. Within twenty four hours Trump appointed as head of the Environmental Protection Agency a politician who has ongoing litigation against that agency and believes, with his fossil fuel masters, that climate change is a hoax.

Then Trump, although he “never settles lawsuits”, settled his law suits, against his defunct fraudulent University, for twenty five million dollars, claiming it as a victory in the process; 

 Eric Trump responding to an American Muslim comedian’s query countered, “Come on man. You can’t believe everything you read. Do you really think we’re gonna do that?”; 

The beautiful wall that Mexico is going to pay for, “believe me”, has been forgotten, at least for the first hundred days………

THE PEOPLE’S CANDIDATE

The populist on the stump pledged to keep Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid intact. His appointments and the GOP Congress leaders tell another story. The privatization and voucherization of those and public education are a priority to all and sundry in the GOP and his cabinet appointments are in sync with this objective. His infrastructure programs and the plan to put them into effect are missing in action. He is more preoccupied with running his Secretary of State reality show with a bit part being played by Kellyanne Conway. The latter is "ostensibly" caucusing against Romney. Jay H. Ell says “ostensibly” because there is no way that snake oil saleswoman would take on her snake oil salesman boss in public. The boss, it was leaked, “was furious with Kellyanne” - cha cha cha. 

IT’S THE MONEY - STUPID

The whole issue that his conflict of interest byzantine financial empire causes is still up in the air. Money is still Trump’s achilles heel, if he has one. What impact, for example, does his decision making have on Germany when he owes the Deutsche Bank a stack of tom and the latter is under investigation by US Regulators The President Elect’s tax returns are still under audit where they will apparently remain for the rest of history. What are the chances that they will ever see the light of day?  

Supposedly the conflict of interest issue will be resolved on December 15 at a “major press conference”.  If any of the previous “major” announcements are anything to go by it will be another infomercial. It will once again be confirmed that the media have been played for the venal suckers that they are. 

THE PRESIDENCY ALA TRUMP

The media and society having given up waiting for him to become “presidential”. He is still tweeting up a storm on anything and everything. He shows no discrimination between his inane personal vendettas and matters of State. He cannot wait for Saturday Night Live where, with tweets, he is taking on Alec Baldwin who is spoofing him. He cannot handle the mocking, demanding that Baldwin cease and desist. Baldwin has offered to do so if he releases his tax returns! 

He has hardly attended any Security Briefings which shouldn’t be surprising, because, “believe me”, he knows more about ISIS than the Generals. He conducts international business over a private “unprotected” telephone. He does not bother to obtain State Department briefings on the intricacies of the international relationships America has forged over generations. He has already disturbed the Pacific rim by courting Taiwan angering China no end. The immediate assumption is that he has business deals in Taiwan and or he owes Chinese banks money. Then the dealings with Japan, with Ivanka in tow, look murkier and murkier by the day..

What does our guy in Pennsylvania Avenue have to say about Kim Jung - un’s North Korea? Maybe it’s time to call the runt’s bluff and nuke him to kingdom come or at least launch a thousand tweets? 

All this should send shudders down the spines of any sane citizen as the issue is complicated even further by his international holdings. 

He intersperses this circus with his ongoing Nuremberg style rallies reassuring the faithful that he is still telling as it is - even though the “is” is ever changing. It is raising some concern in the Trump Towers bunker that the victory venues have been half full.

BUT THE SANE DISCUSS THE INSANITY IF IT WAS SANE

The media talking heads discuss the comings and goings of the futureTrump Presidency as it did the Bush or Obama transition. They have all drunk the kool - aid. One hopes that the end result won’t be the same as Jonestown and somehow we will all survive this train smash about to happen. It can come from any direction with this loose canon in charge.

In the meantime it is futile discussing anything because everything means nothing. It is a bit ominous however that two of the biggest flakes in American politics and the military are his two most important advisors: Steve Bannon , (who is not a racist but he is the poster child for every racist from the KKK downwards), and Michael Flynn, (who has tweeted that Hillary is involved in a child sex operation). They are not even subject to Congressional confirmation.  

In fairness to Trump it is his not totally his fault that his pitch was bought in enough places to swing the electoral college. Over sixty million Americans pulled the lever for Trump/Spence and  a hundred million didn’t even bother to exercise their franchise. While leadership is crucial the electorate are not absolved from responsibility. 

AT THE END OF THE DAY

House Speaker Paul Ryan is either delusional or is spot on. Ryan went on CBS’s Sixty Minutes and to interpret what he said, in political speak - there are two realities related to Donald Trump. According to Ryan there is the Trump that has agreed to the GOP Agenda as enunciated by ideologue Ryan. When the Speaker was confronted with how that jived with the forever tweeting, racist and populist Trump, he hedged and smiled and concluded that President Elect Trump was an unconventional candidate and would be an unconventional President. Ryan explained that the billionaire was speaking to a constituency that had been thus far ignored! In layman’s talk Ryan was arguing that Trump was just bullshitting them all. Ryan, clarified that the beautiful wall and the eleven million deportations were just election speak… 

It is argued that Trump needs to be given a chance. He is being given every chance and he is doing nothing to reassure us that we have an adult in the Whitehouse. 

Perhaps Henry Kissinger got it right when he cautioned the media not to get on The Donald’s case when he failed to deliver on his election promises. But Henry probably isn’t so sanguine now that Trump has all but declared at least a trade war on China. After all it was Henry who painstakingly paved the way for the China rapprochement. This he achieved with all manner of stratagems including organizing an international table tennis match. 

What Trump doesn't realize is that his Trade War will largely be conducted against American Companies who have installations in foreign lands and all he will do is push up the cost of living at least thirty - five percent. The good news is that the GOP Congress have openly bucked agianst trade tarrifs. Trump really should understand why these businessmen go oversea as that is what he did. It is cheaper and as he explained on the trail, when confronted with his behavior, he had a responsibility to his business.

The last occasion when words meant as little to Jay H. Ell emanated from the good old USSR in the period from Stalin to Kosygin. Here we got daily lectures on the glories of USSR democracy, economy, respect of country integrity versus the Western colonial, neofascist, capitalist, imperial warmongers. It took a while for that cookie to crumble so let’s hope the Trump fake reality crashes earlier. 

But then again maybe Jay H. Ell just doesn’t get it. This is all about change!