Where exactly are we?

Our National Constitution protects a person’s freedom of expression and opinion, duly supported by other laws in the kingdom, which provide protection against wild and unjust accusations. It is a key characteristic of democracy and we trust the world’s leading democracy, the USA, respects fellow nations that allow a similar degree of independent thinking and freedom to express opinion.

One such opinion is, of course, the writer’s view that Mr Trump’s decision to attack Iran was not remotely justified. A ‘colourful’ decision, in that it came out of the blue, crossed the red line and landed in a pile of brown mud. We never received a detailed explanation of what precipitated the USA assault, other than that the USA was facing ‘an imminent attack … and to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability’. In reality, the likelihood of an attack was almost zero and Iran has been openly promising for years that its nuclear programme was peaceful – for electricity and medicine – whether true or not. A key issue: Iran was funding militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and was a threat to Israel. As is evident today.

Furthermore, the past 30 years have seen many incidents between the USA and Iran when a considerable number of Americans have lost their lives; that is never forgotten. The tension was building up and with the USA influence in the Middle East plus the powerful Israel lobby, there was always a threat from Iran; but within the Middle East and, barely hitting the Mediterranean, let alone the Atlantic Ocean. Some weeks ago, we mentioned the ruthless killing by the Iranian authorities of many thousands of relatively peaceful protesters in that country. That was January 2026. An interesting coincidence since, 14 years earlier, NATO launched a successful attack, eliminating another leader – Colonel Gaddafi of Libya – after he had also authorised the killing of thousands of innocent protesters in that country. Did that spur Trump to repeat history? The big difference, however, was that he did not seek approval from NATO, an organisation of several decent nations, including the USA. A careless omission.  

Well, after all that, where exactly are we? At the Eswatini end of the mess, we sit biting our fingernails about a further increase in fuel prices and the knock-on effect on all goods and services.

That, of course, is not remotely comparable with what is happening in the Middle East, where many people are dying or losing their homes. The poor around the world will also really suffer and I doubt, given Mr Trump’s personal history, that he has any idea what it’s like to have only E5 in the pocket and trying to survive off the land, without inputs and fencing and with no money to send the children to high school.

Given the mutual exclusivity on issues for the negotiating table that need to be resolved before the war between the USA and Iran can end, each side has to concede some ground. The USA is in a very tricky situation. Having started the war, it cannot make substantial concessions; otherwise, it has ‘all been for nothing’. At the same time, from within the USA, there is mounting pressure on Mr Trump to bring the war to a close. And halt the Israeli offensives. The US House of Representatives last week voted to halt military action “in (sic) Iran.” Four Republicans defected. It still requires a similar vote in Congress to get it through. And these politicians can talk their way through anything.

In Iran, the people don’t matter to the leaders in the same way at all. So Iran is less likely to give ground on the key issues – enriching uranium for nuclear development and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Lives have been lost, infrastructure damaged beyond repair and massive expense sustained. You can’t just write that off with a wave of the arm. Unfortunately, that is usually only achieved when there’s a full-out war, territory invaded and one side giving in fully, leading to total peace. No one, however,  should want an all-out war, with territory invaded.

The ‘ceasefire’,  ‘continuing negotiations’ and ‘close to a deal’ are purely cosmetic. Progress and outcomes have been falsely reported throughout. The attacks against each other continue making a so-called ceasefire nothing but a ‘piece-fire’; it is just a political technique to keep the people happy. “The war is won,” said Mr Trump in March 2026. That may win something else –  one of this year’s Oscar awards.

Yet, in the USA, Donald Trump is not experiencing the severe criticism that we might expect. Two-thirds of Republican supporters, in a recent survey, expressed the view that their president is handling the war and cost of living to their satisfaction. One is constantly reminded of what is set in stone in American politics: “Republican or Democrat for life. Regardless.” Unless you’re a Kennedy. The greatest democracy on Earth is exhibiting signs of a democracy that is stuck, for now, in the damage caused by a dictatorial-style decision in February 2026.  Many of Trump’s supporters simply admire the bravado; what they themselves lack. That is very common in human society today; also, rather depressing.