Posted on 11/07/2025 12:16:36 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Like a ‘friendly’ poker game, the ‘peace process’ was an end in itself. The president decided to win.
In the 77 years since the formation of the Jewish state, and for the 2,000 years since the destruction of the Second Temple, the West has understood peace in the Middle East—peace between Arabs and Jews—as impossible.
Semantically, the “Peace Process” was the continuing enjoyment of a process which could be ended only by peace. What, then, have the West, the world and the United Nations been doing in regard to the Mideast since 1948?
The terrorist Yasser Arafat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994; the U.N., funded by the U.S., has dedicated time, treasure and prestige to the demonization of the Jewish state; Presidents Obama and Biden funded Iranian terrorism; presidents prior to Donald Trump vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and broke their word; successive Democratic administrations promoted energy restrictions ensuring we’d have to buy oil from those enemies who paid for terrorism.
Through all the mishigas, the antisemites held that the Jewish state must be destroyed. The more philosemitic disagreed, suggesting instead accommodations that could only possibly end in Israel’s obliteration. Historically, this diplomacy was mistaken for and awarded as achievement.
There is an analog in my experience. It is the home game. This is a poker game made of a longtime, limited set of players—friends and neighbors, but acquaintances at least—given to “friendly” play. The game is “friendly,” as supposedly no one will lose greatly over the long run. Why? If they did, the game would dissolve from lack of players. The money, then, is largely just pushed around.
Should a player lose beyond his ability to pay, the others may allow him time to pay off his loss—usually, time until...
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Like the Cold War — Reagan’s strategy: “We win. They lose.”
That changed everything, right there. No one had tried it before.
sorry if i am just too dumb to understand it but
i can’t figure out what the author is trying to say
You aren’t alone in confusion about this piece.
Game Theory works to explain many things. Mamet is not really a master of that branch of mathematics.
In game theory, you must be able to define relative goods. National Prosperity for example. Ethnic Pride for another. Role of Islam vs. Westernism might be another important good for some.
Trump chose peace as the dominant good. An optimal strategy solution became possible.
Mamet has that part correct. The rest of the long piece is gibberish. Poker games have simple goods. The Mideast does not.
Indeed there is a quite noticeable gibberish content
Nice analogy.
The purpose of the “home game” or “freindly poker” is to keep the game going. In rational poker, the purpose is to win money.
In the “Peace Process” the purpose was to keep the “Peace Process going” (the difference is there were lots of people going home with money from the “Peace Process”.
President Trump broke up this “friendly game” by deciding to win, and keep the money.
How about Trump spending some of that “money he won” and spend that capital on the USA?
How about Trump spending some of that “money he won” and spend that capital on the USA?
We have to be more productive. We are spend the vast majority of the money we spend in the USA on entitlements such as Obamacare, Medicare (partly the same), welfare and Social Security. The amount we spend on the military is less than the interest on the National Debt, because of all the money we spend on free stuff for People in the USA, many of them not even citizens.
Cutting USAID helps, but it is not very big compared to the entitlement spending. Which has always been planned to bankrupt us and destroy us. (Cloward Piven strategy)
I was referring to the money as a metaphor, I.e. more attention on domestic matters. I appreciate his work overseas, though. No doubt it’s a tightrope he’s navigating.
Quote: “ The last thing Trump needs to keep doing is focusing on foreign policy and trying to win a Nobel Peace Prize. It’s killing his Presidency.”
Pretty sure peace in Israel wasn’t why everyone voted for him.
Time to come home and laser in on affordability issues.
For dam sure “peace in Israel” wasn’t why everyone voted for him.
Time for Trump to come home and laser in on affordability issues.
N-i-c-e take.
Trump needs to spend a lot more time on the U.S. Economy.
I get what the author is saying but those things are not chocolate and peanut butter.
Im not Trump so I could just be engaging in hopeful thinking...
Everyone is getting down on Trump for some of his actions but all of these things that seems to be confusing people are part of the cold war with China. The Greenland issue, Argentina issue, Panama problems, Venezuela and likely the Mexico drug issue, and his insistence on seemingly supporting Israel.
Its all anti-China.
Without going into all these other things, I believe this is related to his efforts to kill China while supporting our economy and counter balancing China by creating/supporting a economic and military peer in that theater.
You are all familiar with the Belts and Roads Initiative and The 21st Century Silk Road I would assume. Ambivalent nations and crypto enemies like Israel were considering or had movements to join our open enemies in the economic boom China offered.
Trump and our allies of temporary economic opportunity must be getting around to developing the Gaza Seaport in support of IMEC (India-Middle East Corridor) plan that will undermine Chinas efforts in the Middle East.
With Europe, most of the Middle East, and possibly eventually spurs to Africa, those nations would no longer be interested in joining and funding Chinas policies and programs while enriching India to make it better able to take care of its own back yard.
Those goods that arent returned to American shores for whatever reasons are replaced by relatively cheap goods from India instead of China. Our products can continue to be preferred in those nations.
I realize that some might accuse me of engaging in “girl math” and Im not even going to guess at the figures but a hot war with China and possibly Russia along with whatever puppets they can gather up is going to cost us and some allies a lot of money and likely a generation of people that no one can afford to lose.
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