Valerie, does Jonathan Confircus have political aspirations. I think he would be an excellent leader. Again, another very informative discussion. Very glad I subscribe to your podcasts.
Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed it. You'd have to ask Conricus about that point but my guess would be "no". Based on nothing he's said or done but simply my sense. Delighted that you find the podcasts so informative.
As for the US - I'm going to take the coward's way out and admit that I am so glad I do not have a vote. Then again, as a Canadian I've spent my life following US elections and have felt similarly every single time. US elections have always seemed to me to be so nasty and obsessively focused on guns and abortion.
The perception in Israel - and the "moderate" countries in the mid east - is that Trump would be better for Israel and the region. Hands down. There are may analyses as to why but I'm going to put it this way: Regional actors fear Trump. On the one hand he is perceived as being unpredictable. On the other he is seen to be tough and someone who follows through. As he did when Syria used chemical weapons on its population. Both Obama and Trump threatened to respond militarily if that should happen. Obama did not. Trump did.
Many take the view that Trump is unreliable. Is Kamala reliable? Who is she? What does she stand for? I find her persona to be very inauthentic.......and lacking in substance. Doesn't mean Trump is all substance and genuineness.
"Ive studied the maps." Seriously, Kamala?
I believe that Trump would slap sanctions back on Iran. That he would work closely with the Saudis, UAE, Bahrain and Israel to fortify the moderates and take down the axis of terror. Does he have ulterior commercial motives in so doing? Perhaps. I don't know. But I do know that Israel - and other countries in the region - don't have time to mess around. This China Russia Iran axis is a serious threat to the west.
I actually have a strong opinion on this.....:) But I have no vote. So I defer to the American people. And whoever prevails I hope that the transition is peaceful and that America continues to be the superpower we need. We need law. order. social discipline.
But I am doing a podcast with a strong right winger here who is a Trumper as well - on Thursday - I'll share my thoughts on Trump vs Harris more freely then.....:)
Oh. And I have serious issues with the extreme woke/gender agenda too. I mean - Kamala is a lot like Justin Trudeau.
Vivian, do you realize what this trump victory means for us Americans? You speak of law and order. You have protested alongside thousands of Israelis against the reformist government Netanyahu wanted to put into place; a government with no accountability. That is what we have now in America. A stacked Supreme Court that has removed all guardrails in our system of government. Trump has full immunity as the next president and he has vowed to take revenge on many who have stood up for law and order, like liz Cheney for example.
It is a dark dark day in America, let me tell you. This country has elected a felon, a person convicted of sexual assault, a person who has incited so much hatred (including hatred towards Jews, I might add) that I fear there is no turning back for America. My adolescent daughters were so excited for Harris to win. For someone to want to protect them. We are distraught. Go ahead and trust trump. Put your country ahead of the interests of my country. Bottom line is America is not ready to elect a woman president and now, as women are disrespected more than ever in this country, because of trump’s anger and vitriol against women, we are considered second class citizens.
Hi Jennifer. I very intentionally did and do not get into the domestic issues, as I am sure you noticed. When speaking of the US and Trump (or any other leader for that matter) I am addressing foreign policy. That is not putting one country ahead of another. That is limiting the commentary to areas in which I have expertise. I have said explicitly in every thing i have written or interview done - that I will leave the domestic commentary on the US election to the experts. Not my lane. Canada and Israel are the only two countries about which I feel I have the expertise and duty to comment regarding domestic matters.
Having said that, we may not agree. For example., I believe that PM Justin Trudeau has been a disaster for Canada, by any measure. You may think he's the bees knees. But when a population turns on a leader - as Canadians have turned on Justin - there's more to it than emotion and fringe extremism.
Fwiw, from afar, I have deep concerns about Harris. But that is not what I'm writing about. I have concerns about Trump as well. It's not about trust, as you state. It's about how he is perceived in the middle east and the impact that his presidency will have on the region.
Clearly, many Americans feel differently about Trump and Harris than you do. Are they all racist, misogynist extremists?
At the moment, Israel truly faces an existential crisis for many reasons and on many levels. That is what I am focused on. Regarding your reference to me having participated in the judicial reform protests - apples and oranges. The system of government here as well as the institutions of government are very different from the US. You clearly believe and are convinced that Trump will destroy all that is good about America and that the Supreme Court will enable him in that mission. It is highly unlikely that after mid terms the House and Senate will both continue to have Republican majorities. No one can destroy a country in two years. America has far more entrenched and powerful checks and balances baked into its system of government than does Israel. Israel is a very poorly developed democracy, from that perspective.
When I look at what Justin Trudeau has done to Canada over a period of close to ten years, however, I truly do despair. A decade is a lot longer than two years. Your system has term limits and more robust guardrails.
I appreciate you sharing your time to reply and it’s not my intention to take up much more of it, but I have to say there is a real movement of baseless hatred happening here in the US. And many of us, in fact millions of us, see how trump has normalized this hatred amongst millions of _other_Americans since before he won in 2016. We are going on almost ten years dealing with this. I almost wish he had won in 2020 because then we’d be “done” with him. I hope you are right about the midterms. I hope you are right that he’ll make some moves to effect a positive shift in the Middle East. I will try to learn about the remaining guardrails in our government you mentioned (I’m skeptical). Btw, I couldn’t open the article unless I subscribe to the NYTs which I cannot do. Stay safe.
Always happy to engage constructively. I appreciate your time and interest as well. Sorry you can't access the article I linked. I do subscribe. There is a way to gift an article but not sure how that works......i'll add it to my tech challenge list....:)
It was a bit of both. Meant to give Iran of what constitutes a “soft” attack…..as in targeting military targets only with no broader damage. Israel made it clear that if Iran stood down that it would as well. But if not then Israel would go all out on the next retaliation. What this last strike did was to try to send that message. But. If Iran attacks again……the targets hit by Israel already lay the groundwork for a very strong attack against which Iran is pretty much defenceless.
Valerie, does Jonathan Confircus have political aspirations. I think he would be an excellent leader. Again, another very informative discussion. Very glad I subscribe to your podcasts.
Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoyed it. You'd have to ask Conricus about that point but my guess would be "no". Based on nothing he's said or done but simply my sense. Delighted that you find the podcasts so informative.
You and Conricus are a great team
Which US candidate would be best for Israel?
Thanks, Dave! Yes, we vibe well. I agree.
As for the US - I'm going to take the coward's way out and admit that I am so glad I do not have a vote. Then again, as a Canadian I've spent my life following US elections and have felt similarly every single time. US elections have always seemed to me to be so nasty and obsessively focused on guns and abortion.
The perception in Israel - and the "moderate" countries in the mid east - is that Trump would be better for Israel and the region. Hands down. There are may analyses as to why but I'm going to put it this way: Regional actors fear Trump. On the one hand he is perceived as being unpredictable. On the other he is seen to be tough and someone who follows through. As he did when Syria used chemical weapons on its population. Both Obama and Trump threatened to respond militarily if that should happen. Obama did not. Trump did.
Many take the view that Trump is unreliable. Is Kamala reliable? Who is she? What does she stand for? I find her persona to be very inauthentic.......and lacking in substance. Doesn't mean Trump is all substance and genuineness.
"Ive studied the maps." Seriously, Kamala?
I believe that Trump would slap sanctions back on Iran. That he would work closely with the Saudis, UAE, Bahrain and Israel to fortify the moderates and take down the axis of terror. Does he have ulterior commercial motives in so doing? Perhaps. I don't know. But I do know that Israel - and other countries in the region - don't have time to mess around. This China Russia Iran axis is a serious threat to the west.
I actually have a strong opinion on this.....:) But I have no vote. So I defer to the American people. And whoever prevails I hope that the transition is peaceful and that America continues to be the superpower we need. We need law. order. social discipline.
But I am doing a podcast with a strong right winger here who is a Trumper as well - on Thursday - I'll share my thoughts on Trump vs Harris more freely then.....:)
Oh. And I have serious issues with the extreme woke/gender agenda too. I mean - Kamala is a lot like Justin Trudeau.
Thanks! I am heading to my polling place soon. Your views affirm several of my own.
Vivian, do you realize what this trump victory means for us Americans? You speak of law and order. You have protested alongside thousands of Israelis against the reformist government Netanyahu wanted to put into place; a government with no accountability. That is what we have now in America. A stacked Supreme Court that has removed all guardrails in our system of government. Trump has full immunity as the next president and he has vowed to take revenge on many who have stood up for law and order, like liz Cheney for example.
It is a dark dark day in America, let me tell you. This country has elected a felon, a person convicted of sexual assault, a person who has incited so much hatred (including hatred towards Jews, I might add) that I fear there is no turning back for America. My adolescent daughters were so excited for Harris to win. For someone to want to protect them. We are distraught. Go ahead and trust trump. Put your country ahead of the interests of my country. Bottom line is America is not ready to elect a woman president and now, as women are disrespected more than ever in this country, because of trump’s anger and vitriol against women, we are considered second class citizens.
I’m sure you’ve seen this but just in case….i thought of you when I read it just now. He’s a Democrat. V good column, I thought.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/06/opinion/trump-elites-working-class.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Hi Jennifer. I very intentionally did and do not get into the domestic issues, as I am sure you noticed. When speaking of the US and Trump (or any other leader for that matter) I am addressing foreign policy. That is not putting one country ahead of another. That is limiting the commentary to areas in which I have expertise. I have said explicitly in every thing i have written or interview done - that I will leave the domestic commentary on the US election to the experts. Not my lane. Canada and Israel are the only two countries about which I feel I have the expertise and duty to comment regarding domestic matters.
Having said that, we may not agree. For example., I believe that PM Justin Trudeau has been a disaster for Canada, by any measure. You may think he's the bees knees. But when a population turns on a leader - as Canadians have turned on Justin - there's more to it than emotion and fringe extremism.
Fwiw, from afar, I have deep concerns about Harris. But that is not what I'm writing about. I have concerns about Trump as well. It's not about trust, as you state. It's about how he is perceived in the middle east and the impact that his presidency will have on the region.
Clearly, many Americans feel differently about Trump and Harris than you do. Are they all racist, misogynist extremists?
At the moment, Israel truly faces an existential crisis for many reasons and on many levels. That is what I am focused on. Regarding your reference to me having participated in the judicial reform protests - apples and oranges. The system of government here as well as the institutions of government are very different from the US. You clearly believe and are convinced that Trump will destroy all that is good about America and that the Supreme Court will enable him in that mission. It is highly unlikely that after mid terms the House and Senate will both continue to have Republican majorities. No one can destroy a country in two years. America has far more entrenched and powerful checks and balances baked into its system of government than does Israel. Israel is a very poorly developed democracy, from that perspective.
When I look at what Justin Trudeau has done to Canada over a period of close to ten years, however, I truly do despair. A decade is a lot longer than two years. Your system has term limits and more robust guardrails.
I appreciate you sharing your time to reply and it’s not my intention to take up much more of it, but I have to say there is a real movement of baseless hatred happening here in the US. And many of us, in fact millions of us, see how trump has normalized this hatred amongst millions of _other_Americans since before he won in 2016. We are going on almost ten years dealing with this. I almost wish he had won in 2020 because then we’d be “done” with him. I hope you are right about the midterms. I hope you are right that he’ll make some moves to effect a positive shift in the Middle East. I will try to learn about the remaining guardrails in our government you mentioned (I’m skeptical). Btw, I couldn’t open the article unless I subscribe to the NYTs which I cannot do. Stay safe.
Always happy to engage constructively. I appreciate your time and interest as well. Sorry you can't access the article I linked. I do subscribe. There is a way to gift an article but not sure how that works......i'll add it to my tech challenge list....:)
Great show Vivian.
Thx Lisa. Tell all your friends!!!!
excellent interview, I don't have much of a following but I did post it on X
Thx Hadassah
Was the last Israeli strike meant as a deterrence? My read is it was just the first strike of many coming regardless of Iran’s response.
It was a bit of both. Meant to give Iran of what constitutes a “soft” attack…..as in targeting military targets only with no broader damage. Israel made it clear that if Iran stood down that it would as well. But if not then Israel would go all out on the next retaliation. What this last strike did was to try to send that message. But. If Iran attacks again……the targets hit by Israel already lay the groundwork for a very strong attack against which Iran is pretty much defenceless.