Cheap Seats 2025 By Rich TrzupekDéjà vu All Over Again - 01/22 
By Rich Trzupek
Incredible how history repeats itself. Back in 1981, just before a very controversial presidential candidate was about to be sworn in, a hostage crisis that had lasted 443 days abruptly ended. Flash forward 45 years and we find another controversial presidential candidate about to be sworn in when another hostage crisis that had lasted 469 days comes to a similarly sudden conclusion. Coincidence? I think not.
The Iranian hostage crisis was a national embarrassment, one that the incredibly inept Carter administration was unable to bring to a conclusion. Once Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in the election of 1980 things changed. Reagan was known, and feared, for talking tough and for following his rhetoric up with action.
He got word to the Iranian “students” holding the American hostages in Tehran that they were free to do whatever they wanted up until he took the oath of office. Once he was sworn in, the hostages would be returned, unharmed. Further, he told them, if any hostage was harmed before being returned all of the hostage takers were dead men walking. The promise – not a threat – had the desired effect.
Incoming, but then outgoing, President Donald Trump channeled the Gipper when planning the withdrawal of United States forces in Afghanistan. He met with the Taliban to discuss what would happen and to emphasize his desire that no American citizens were to be harmed during the phased operation. If any Americans are hurt, he told the lead fanatic, you’re a dead man. Then, to emphasize the point he pulled out a picture of the fellow’s home, obviously taken by one of our sophisticated spy satellites, dropped it on the table in front of the guy and walked out of the room. It was the diplomatic equivalent of the mike drop.
There is little doubt that a similar message was sent to Hamas, either directly by the Orange Man himself, or through intermediaries. We don’t know exactly what that message was, but one strongly suspects that it was some variation of: “Once I’m sworn in, the hostage crisis in Gaza ends. The only question is whether it ends because Hamas releases them, or it concludes because we end Hamas.”
It is easy – remarkably easy – to criticize the way the brash New Yorker chooses to phrase his messages. Doubly so in our current politically-correct, uber-sensitive, ‘respect-my-pronouns’ society. You may be offended, or you may find the Donald refreshing. But, on the diplomatic front, everybody knows that the man means what he says and says what he means. In a field dominated by politicians speaking out of both sides of their mouths, Trump shines a light through the fog of diplomacy.
Before he left office the first time, he negotiated the Abraham accords, normalizing relations between Israel and some of the moderate players in the Middle East. Expect more of the same in the Trump Reloaded term. It would not be surprising to find Israel and Saudi Arabia figuring out a way to open diplomatic ties and that would be huge. In that part of the world, it’s the Sunni states vs. the Shia states, the latter of which basically means Iran. If the Sunnis can stop the decades-long squabbling with Israel, that will go a long way to eroding Iranian influence. Who knows – maybe the Iranian people will eventually rise up and overthrow the mullahs.
Whatever happens, we can once again be sure that it’ll be good for Israel. And, history shows, what is good for Israel is good for us, and as importantly, good for freedom.
Email: richtrzupek@gmail.com
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