Things are worse than we thought

Although Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was referring to the U.S., when lamenting that “things are worse than she thought,” it’s a statement which could apply to almost any area in the world at this point in time.

The deterioration of leadership, in addition to the tremendous divide in ideology, philosophy, values, ethics, morals and judgment has become so at odds that there almost seems no way to come back from the downward spiral that is taking place at lightning speed.

It was just a few months ago that the Assad regime was toppled by Syrian rebels, promising a brighter tomorrow for the victims of the profound suffering, torture and mass killings which occurred under the former Syrian president who fled to Russia for asylum. His replacement, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, assured a skeptical world that his would be a government, restoring freedom and equity to the people, virtually promising a new era, filled with opportunity for all.

Those were the words of a man claiming to protect the people. But now we are confronted with the news that as many as 1,000 may have been massacred in the Alawite region over the past few days, an area made up of both Muslims and Christians.  But while al-Julani’s HTS Sunni Islamist group (Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), said to have “extremist roots,” claims that insurgents, loyal to Assad attacked and killed members of the security forces of the new government, the other side is blaming HTS for the massive revenge death toll of their people, claiming that the country’s minority population was always endangered.  

In the end, the brutal murder of hundreds, mostly Alawites has shocked the conscience of all, in what is being called “sectarian massacres” ridding a large Christian population from the area who has sought refuge at a Russian military base near the Mediterranean. 

If that news wasn’t bad enough, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has interpreted U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent letter, requesting diplomatic talks to avoid any future nuclear confrontations, as an attempt to bully his country into negotiations that they are not prepared to conduct. Does anyone really believe that Iran is capable of good will or the cooperation needed in order to stave off the world dominance which they hope to achieve once their nuclear arsenal is up and running?

But it’s not just ominous news about Syrian massacres and Iran’s blustering threats, because no one really knows what is on the mind of our southern neighbor, Egypt with whom we have enjoyed relative quiet for decades. Ever since 1979, when Israel and Egypt entered into the historic framework of the Arab-Israeli peace treaty, despite a number of regime changes, the relationship has remained relatively stable.

It has only been over the past few weeks that reports of a military buildup on Egypt’s Sinai border has been taking place. Speculation is that this is being done in preparation of Trump’s proposal to empty out Gaza’s population by relocating them to Jordan and Egypt, both of whom are strongly opposed to take in any of these people. Thus, a military buildup could be in anticipation of what they believe could be a forced entrance into Egypt. 

But since a multinational peacekeeping force has been part of the 1979 treaty, with approximately 1100 American soldiers stationed in the Sinai, funded by three countries, any Egyptian incursion might initiate a very complex situation, causing 46 years of stability to disappear overnight. 

While all this is brewing, there also seems to be a stalemate with the release of further hostages, some of whom are barely holding on to dear life. According to reports, some Hamas demands are complete non-starters, including a permanent ceasefire with international guarantors and large-scale prisoner releases, including the worst of the worst. 

In an attempt to maximize the pressure, the Trump administration is doing its utmost to cripple Iran’s economy by cutting off its gas and electricity imports from Iraq which, as of March 7th, no longer has a sanctions waiver. Israel has also halted its electrical supply into Gaza as well as all further humanitarian supplies.  

If these measures do not work, a Houthi attack on Israel is likely to happen, which could, once again, plunge the region into a massive war. In short, there is peril in the north, peril in the south, and peril from Yemen and Iran, making it feel as if a showdown is getting ready to happen. The only thing which has prevented a return to the 17-month fight, has been the hope of retrieving our hostages, literally freeing them from the bowels of hell.  If that cannot be accomplished, all bets are off.

Things are, indeed, looking grim in this part of the world, and while Tulsi Gabbard has her own rat’s nest of slimy characters to confront, we mustn’t forget the reigniting on American college campuses, where the bottomless pit of antisemitism is taking its place front and center, fueled by young anarchists who are happily doing the bidding for savage terrorists who are tickled pink that homeborn Palestinian elements have influenced an uninformed generation to join their struggle of resistance, not even knowing what that means.

Yes, the world is in a sad state of affairs, reeling from the spontaneous combustion of hatred, bloodthirstiness, deep turmoil, lawlessness and utter chaos. Even the most talented negotiators, cannot change the evil hearts of those who are committed to bring down the pillars of the world’s house, whether or not it means their own end, because life, to them, is just a convenient vehicle to destruction.  If they cannot achieve their goals, they will make sure that no one else can either.

It is astonishing how everything went to rot in such a relatively short period of time. Lulled into a false sense of security, thinking that progress was being made, the enemies of humanity were plotting to destroy the calm and tranquility which most of us felt prior to the days of Covid, and the Jewish massacre on Israeli soil which then spread like a raging fire throughout every continent. 

So, move over, Tulsi. As ugly and unsavory as the stench you have unearthed in your intelligence department may be, yours may still be the easier task when it comes to cleaning up the sewage mess which comes from the sickness that is prevalent in man. Sadly, that universal problem has made its way to this side of the world as well.