“Greater Israel” and Regional Turbulence: Strategic Calculation or Strategic Miscalculation?

Mike Huckabee’s statements in his interview with Tucker Carlson brought into focus what critics describe as the hidden ideological foundation of Washington and Tel Aviv’s current Middle East strategy. At the center of attention is not only the military operation against Iran, launched on February 28, 2026, but also its symbolic context: the attack coincided with the Jewish holiday of Purim, adding another layer of religious and political resonance to the events.

Take it all at face value; it is surely more than coincidence for some Jews that the military operation was launched on the day that the Jewish people recite the Torah’s commandment to remember Amalek, the Jews’ principal foe during their early years as a people, which is read on the Shabbat preceding the holiday of Purim.

The headline in some Jewish publications is self-revealing: “On Purim Eve, Iran’s Architect of Terror is Dead: In joint US-Israel operation, Iranian top command has been eliminated.” Purim started Monday night, March 2, and ran until Tuesday, March 3.

And let’s not forget Huckabee’s earlier interview, which exposes much, perhaps too much, about America’s less than balanced relationship with Israel. He acts as if he has a direct line with God and knows something that the rest of us are not privy to. And that is just the beginning, as for the rhetorical subterfuge and downright lies that have become the standard for US domestic and foreign policy—one only has to listen to the double-speak of Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance to get the impression of a game of “good cop” vs. “bad cop” when it comes to the Trump Administration.

Did you see Trump’s SOTU address?

It is REALLY a clown show from all parties. Read about it first, and then listen to the comedians having an already prepared script, as the best fiction writers could not come up with such rhetoric and expect people to buy it. Finally, listen to it yourself—then really think about what is happening at home and on the international stage!

It is jaw-dropping to believe that some people can still take Trump and his US Secretaries of State, War, and Ambassadors, especially the one to Israel, seriously, especially after the SOTU address, Huckabee’s disastrous interview, and the press conferences given by Hesgith and Rubio about “Operation Epic Fury,” which is already being lampooned as “Operation Epstein’s Fury” on social media.

President Donald Trump used the State of the Union (STOU) to argue that the country is “winning” under his leadership, even as his approval ratings crash........

© New Eastern Outlook