CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The Axis of Terror: The Destructive Price of America’s Blind Allegiance to Israel

Photograph Source: NAVCENT Public Affairs – Public Domain

The unprovoked joint U.S.-Israeli war launched against Iran on 28 February 2026 will manifestly change West Asia.  When it ends, Arab despots, who allowed their countries to be used as platforms for aggression against Iran, will confront a new reality.

The safety and stability they thought was theirs based on fealty to the United States and its Israeli proxy was shattered as Iranian missiles and drones were en route to destroy the U.S. military and intelligence installations they had allowed on their soil; a subordination they falsely believed would protect them.

The Arab world is learning the hard way what the late-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, in his cold logic, implied decades ago about American foreign policy: “The word will go out to the nations of the world that it may be be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”

On the other hand, it is clear that Iran does not abandon its allies, having supported the just cause of the Palestinians for 47 years.  And during the current war, Tehran has refused to abandon its Lebanese Hezbollah allies as well. It has adopted a “peace for all or no peace” stance, refusing peace negotiations/accords that would not include its regional allies.

Deep-seated militarism and distrust, hallmarks of the region, are directly linked to a legacy of foreign intervention: the post-WWI breakup of the Ottoman Empire; the 1948 imposition of the Zionist colony in Palestine; and America’s unwavering support for its killing machine.

From the Truman Doctrine to the Carter Doctrine, the Persian Gulf and its natural resources have been regarded as “vital interests” of the United States, to keep riches in the hands of wealthy Americans.  Every U.S. president has declared a willingness to use “any means necessary” to dominate the region.

To “protect its interests” and its Israeli proxy, the United States has operated 19 military bases across roughly 10 countries in West Asia, housing 40-50,000 military personnel. Of that number eight were considered permanent installations, while the others were temporary or forward-operating sites.  It also deployed several naval ships to the Mediterranean; with the headquarters of the anti-Iran naval armada, the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, anchored in Bahrain.

Prior to the latest Zionist instigated war on the Islamic........

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