The United States has the power to stop both wars. All it would require are two phone calls, one to Netanyahu, and the other to Zelensky. The bravado of these two leaders to escalate would screech to a halt! Unfortunately, and as we know, those wake-up calls show no signs of happening any time soon. Israel’s PM and his supporting cast are hell-bent on continuing to expand the war throughout the Middle East and beyond. He’s convinced he’ll receive total military support from the US, including boots on the ground, as needed. Netanyahu and his supporters are firmly standing by their often-expressed plans to create a Greater Israel, as shown in the following image recently presented at the United Nations:
While the White House continues to claim it supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, Palestine is ironically absent from the map!
Presidential candidates Trump and Harris are two sides of the same coin. Both are emphatic in their support for Israel at all costs. That includes defending Israel if and when they expand the war against Iran, a country that has shown to be a very formidable foe. In the US, the Israeli lobby AIPAC, the hardliner Neocons, and the Military Industrial Complex all have a lot to gain from perpetual wars.
Although repercussions from escalation are impossible to predict, it makes sense to say that if the US, Russia, NATO, and China become involved, it will bring humanity closer to a thermonuclear war. How close? According to the Doomsday Clock, established following the Second World War, we are at 90 seconds to midnight…the closest it has ever been to global annihilation.
Unless there is a significant shift in ideology from either candidate and the individuals and groups that pursue their own selfish agendas and control the media, your vote will foster a continual path toward annihilation. On the other hand, by not voting, you can be proud knowing that you stood for peace and against war.
A PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARD SANITY
Paradigm: A widely accepted belief or concept that constitutes how we view reality (i.e., the Earth is round, not flat).
Paradigm shift: an important change that happens when a new and different way replaces the usual way of thinking about or doing something.
“In order to change an existing paradigm, you do not struggle to try and change the problematic model. You create a new model that makes the old one obsolete.”
Buckminster Fuller (Creator of the Geodesic Dome)
My favorite example of a significant paradigm shift occurred hundreds of years ago. Previously, people assumed the sun revolved around the Earth (right image). Although this was believed for thousands of years, Ptolemy (100 – 170 A.D.), an Egyptian astronomer, standardized the geocentric model of the universe. It stated that the Earth was the center of the universe, and all the heavenly bodies, including the sun, moon, and stars, revolved around it. As I look up every day and night and see the movement of the sun and stars through the sky, it is easy to understand why people accept that concept. It wasn’t until 1400 years later that the first real challenge to that theory came from the Polish astronomer Copernicus (1473 – 1543). Through his observations, he wrote about the heliocentric theory, claiming that the Earth revolved around the sun. Although his ideas stirred up controversy, Galileo (1564 – 1642), with his telescope, seriously challenged the geocentric theory. During an inquisition trial, the Catholic Church, suspecting him of heresy, forced him to deny his findings. Although he did, he was placed on house arrest for the remainder of his life.
Although the church’s acceptance of Galileo’s findings required another century, it was, as Buckminster Fuller stated, “the creation of a new model that makes the old one obsolete.”
DORFMAN’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DEALING WITH ADVERSARIES
Given the chaotic, conflictive, and utterly dangerous Unipolar World we now live in, communication and cooperation among nations is mandatory. In response, the BRICS Economic Summit in Kazan, Russia, beginning today, Tuesday, October 22nd, brings hope and expectation of a more harmonious, cooperative, and diplomatic Multipolar World. To be successful in bringing nations together, I came up with the following recommendations:
1) DON’T HATE YOUR ADVERSARIES!
It doesn’t mean that you have to be friends. JFK and Khrushchev were not friends. As leaders of their countries during the Cold War, they understood how critical it was to stay in touch and communicate to avoid disaster. That positive attitude between the two nuclear superpowers functioned for four decades and helped to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. When there is hate, an adversary is seen as the enemy. The name-calling and blame game begins, and there is zero interest in communicating. The negative attitudes are passed on to the public through the media.
2) GET TO KNOW THEM
This recommendation applies not only to our leaders but also to everyone. How often have you judged, disliked, or hated someone, but once you got to know him or her, those feelings transformed into something positive? Although we may initially judge others because of differences such as physical appearance, language, and ideology, our attitudes will probably change once we get to know each other. We must demand this quality from our leaders for them to be worthy of our vote.
3) DEVELOP MUTUAL RESPECT
This results from understanding and accepting that, regardless of our differences, we are human beings and share many profound and fundamental similarities. The objective is to build relationships based on these similarities instead of focusing on the differences.
4) WORK TOGETHER WITHIN THE BRICS SUMMIT FRAMEWORK
Cooperation and openness to resolving differences among the nine-member nations and the more than 30 countries interested in joining BRICS are critical goals of the Summit. They will be an indication of its success. Even among present members, there are long-standing conflicts and disagreements that require solutions (China vs. India, Egypt vs. Ethiopia, and Iran vs. Saudi Arabia).
Stay tuned for BRICS Summit updates!
