Jim Lo Scalzo / Epa
The tension climbing with Iran is making Mossa within the Republicans: on the one hand are the most traditional, which support a hard response, and on the other are known faces of the Maga Movement, which defend the end of “eternal wars.”
To go or not to the war with Iran – this is the question that is dividing the Republicans these days. If in past times the party was united with a single voice in supporting military attacks against enemies of the United States, the growth of the America First movement and the emergence of new faces in Congress to Trump’s rhetorical ride is Change the tone of republican foreign policy.
Donald Trump’s protectionism is not limited to the imposition of economic tariffs and control on the border and also extended to US military interventionism in other countries.
As criticism of the “eternal wars” They went to one of the flags of his first campaign, with Trump repeatedly massacred Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush for his support for war in Iraq, criticism that were particularly notorious at the time because they were not often heard from the Republicans “we spent 6 billions of dollars in the Middle East and what we have? Nothing.” Absolutely nothing, ”he threw, in one of the presidential debates with Clinton in 2016.
Since then, this message has been echoed several times, with Trump to order the withdrawal of Syria’s US troops in 2019 and to affirm in 2020 that it is not up to the United States be the “police of the world”.
This position of Trump hit the dominant narrative of the “war hawks” – Term regarding politicians who defend the military power of the United States and always support aggressive responses in situations of tension with other countries – who controlled the Republicans and even the conservative wing of the Democrats.
With the victory in 2016, new congressmen from the Trumpist line were gradually emerging and the party was aligning with the president’s most isolation rhetoric. But the recent escalation of tension with Iran following Israel’s attacks is rekindling these old divisions in the party.
If Trump has always claimed to be an anti-war president, the truth is that his relationships with Iran have fled this rule. In 2018, the US unilaterally tore the nuclear agreement and Impted sanctions on Iran againhaving even pressured other countries, such as China or India, not to buy Iranian oil.
In January 2020, Trump also ordered an attack with a drone that killed Qase Soleimani, the main Iranian general, lighting fears that a World War II was imminent. Trump has also accused the Iran of being the “main sponsoring state of terrorism”In the world and threatened to“ obliterate ”the country if this attack the United States.
“Hawks” come out in support of Israel
There are now several “old guard” republicans to argue that the US head of state will follow this most aggressive line against Iranians, including high Pentagon officials, such as Central Central Command General Michael Erik Kurilla.
Questioned last week if Centom was prepared to “respond with overwhelming force to Prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons“Kurilla replied,“ Yes. I gave the Secretary of Defense and the president a wide range of options. ”
Several Republican senators, such as Tom Cotton and the leader of the majority John Thune, also immediately left Israel’s defense shortly after their initial attack on Iran. “My hat to Israel for one of the most impressive military attacks and the Israeli history,” Senator Lindsey Graham said, one of the main “Hawks” in the Republicans.
“Israel is right and has a right to defend itself,” said the leader of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson.
Unconditional support to Israel has also come from Democratic heads. Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, stressed that “Israel has the right to defend itself and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon”-after, in recent weeks, having criticized Trump precisely because it is not hard enough with Iran, Using even the Taco slogan (Trump Always Chickens Out, or Trump is always a coward).
The position of Schumer and other more conservative democrats, such as Hakeem Jeffries or Jackie Rosen, is also in the center of Internal Divisions of Democratswith the most progressive wing being very critical of Israel in Gaza and rocking the loose opposition that party leadership has made other policies imposed by the Trump administration, such as mass deportations, court orders violations or doge cuts to public services.
The “Jd-Tucker-Donald Jr.” axis
If it is being pressured to be harder with Iran on the one hand, on the other, Trump is being advised not to climb the tensions.
“Anyone who is flattering US total involvement in the war between Israel and Iran is not America First/Maga. Wishing the murder of innocent people is disgusting. We are fed up with foreign wars. Of all of them, ”said Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene, from Georgia, one of Trump’s main allies in the House of Representatives.
Leading this wave is still a trio composed by commentator Tucker Carlson, Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr, son of the president.
Already several months that Carlson appeals that Trump does not get involved in armed conflicts in the Middle East. “The biggest victory would be to avoid what would be the real disaster of a war with Iranthat would not be in Iran, of course, ”he said in an interview this month, describing US involvement as“ suicide ”.
Carlson also described his opponents as “Belicists“And he said that this description” would include anyone who was calling Donald Trump today to demand air attacks and another direct military involvement from the US. “
Matthew Bartlett, a republican stratega who worked in the state department during Trump’s first term, recalls that “Donald Trump changed the Republican’s direction” with regard to foreign policy.
“That gave you a new base and a new political power. This new war in the Middle East certainly threatens this base. Although we are not yet involved in a war, the risks of climbing increases dramatically and this certainly has branches with the base, ”warned Bartlett.
Defenders of the America First movement also requested a reformulation of the wider US approach, including questioning the involvement in NATO, support for Ukraine.
The schism between Trump’s supporters also permeates the Pentagon. ELBRIDGE COLY, Undersecretary of Defense for Policies, is among the most prominent of a group of “prioritizers” that expected to redirect US resources in Europe and the Middle East for the sake of the increasing threat from China. Despite this, the Pentagon denies that there are disagreements about policies within the department.
What will Trump do?
So far, Trump’s answer seems to be mixed. The US President has repeatedly Appellate to negotiationsbut has reinforced that it supports Israel and has already threatened Iran with “all the strength and power of the US Armed Forces” in case of an attack.
Hours before Israelist initial attacks, Trump also said he would rather keep Israel out of negotiations with Iran over a new nuclear agreement. “I don’t want them to go in, because I think This would hurt everything“, He defended.
The US head of state will also have to murdering the supreme leader of IranAyatollah there khamenei. In his initial statement after Israeli attacks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear that the US did not help Israel and omitted any mention of climbing support.
However, not everything is a sea of roses for the faces of the America First movement. In response to Tucker Carlson’s comments, Trump made it clear that he does not rule out a harsher answer against Tehran. “Someone please explain to Tucker Carlson eccentric That Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, ”he wrote on social networks.
Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Trump also says that it is “possible that we get involved” in the conflict, which fed more fears in the magician.
We have to wait to know which of the republican factions will win this iron arm.
