Trump's 'Real Peace': More Illusions, Same Old Lobby
The article posits that Trump could achieve peace in Gaza and Ukraine by demanding Palestinian statehood and Ukrainian neutrality. This requires him to show 'courage' and 'defy the war lobby.' The same 'courage' that saw his administration move the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019, and push the Abraham Accords—deals that explicitly
bypassed Palestinian self-determination. Far from defying a 'war lobby,' Trump’s first term was a parade of policies championed by groups like AIPAC, which reported spending nearly $3.5 million on lobbying in 2020 alone (OpenSecrets.org). To suggest Trump is suddenly the beacon of challenging established foreign policy, especially concerning an issue central to AIPAC's mission, is, at best, a
triumph of hope over experience. How many times does a politician need to demonstrate allegiance before we stop imagining a sudden, convenient pivot towards 'courage'? Or are we just hoping the next illusion will be more palatable?