This article is such an appalling mixture of misinformation, ignorance and bias that it would take several pages to analyse. As OLO does not allow that, and it would not in any case change the editorial policy of publishing such rubbish I won't waste my time. If OLO wishes to be taken seriously as an online journal of informed comment it has to up its game.

I tend to agree on the subject of Ariel and Singer, James.

They do their own cause a lot of harm.

Jonathan J. Ariel, your bias is showing just a tad.

David

I'll add to the comments by just adding "Oh dear, really!".

"Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned".
Churchill eulogised Chamberlain in the House of Commons.

Striving for peace is never a bad thing, never misguided

"The unelected so-called “President” of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, saw the Obama Administration for what it was and what it remains: an appeaser of Palestinian terror."

This statement would be hilariously funny if Israel had not just slaughtered 2000 Palestinians in Gaza. The whole piece is so biased it becomes puerile.

Is an article like this worth publishing? This man does not deserve space in OLO if he cannot comment sensibly and contribute to useful discussion.

Problem is Israelis can't accept that Obama isn't as militaristic as they are.

Israelis look back to the Bush Jr days fondly. He was the guy who re-entered the Middle East with tanks - Israeli style.

Netanyahu must be so enraged that he can no longer say "Eerp!" (in place of Europe) with his soulmate Blitzkrieg Bush.

One can't say "Fascist" of course because it would hurt their feelings - making them look in the mirror.

If Chamberlain proved just one thing; he proved there's just no way to appease a dictator, who worked Chamberlain by asking for and getting more and more!

All while a completely unrealistic and hopelessly idealistic Chamberlain waffled on about peace in our time; and became a broken man when it was clear we had to get into yet another world war to get it!

I don't believe President Obama is anything like Chamberlain, but rather very much a speak softly but carry a big stick man!

Even so, he recognizes that the world is war weary, or that there are no winners in any war, just losers; and why should he sacrifice young American lives to try and achieve peace?

Or that those creating all the tensions and unrest, have done so for hundreds if not thousands of years; with never a real prospect of real enduring peace, just time to rearm and rebuild capacity!?

Why would any right minded person want to hop into the middle of that; and without an exit strategy? But particularly if the only exit strategy has to include a couple of well placed nukes, that take out so called friends and foe alike?

Even now, we are talking about the current conflict with ISIL as a hundred year war?

So which western Leader is going to commit to that and why should they?
Rhrosty.

I note that this author is more than a tad up himself, as they say these days.

You just have to love his audacity to correct people.

-Before we go on, for my $2.50 I expect a Sydney Morning Herald reporter in the United States would know that there is no such thing as a joint sitting of Congress. There is however a joint session and there is a joint meeting. Etc., etc.

Other than his crucifixion of Nick O’Malley over such a trivial matter, his article is factually correct.

There is similarity between Obama and Chamberlain being discussed on the forums I visited. My opinion is irrelevant here though.

To James O'Neill

You say -This article is such an appalling mixture of misinformation, ignorance and bias an appalling mixture of misinformation, ignorance and bias

Clearly then Sir, you are not a believer in the truth.

To Stan1

Mahmoud Abbas IS in the 11th year of a 4 year presidency that can be verified.

Where is your verification that -This statement would be hilariously funny if Israel had not just slaughtered 2000 Palestinians in Gaza?

I find that to be hilariously funny apart from the fact you can’t kill people who don’t exist.

Wow! Some people don't see Obama as the most anti US leader ever, & the king of crony capitalism. He should be in the jailhouse, not the white house.

Now here is a difficult question for you. Is it that all dills gravitate to the left, or that the left turns it's supporters into dills. There may be some room for argument there, there is none at all in discussing Obama's disloyalty to his[?] country, or his stupidity.

. How is it every single contemporary global conflict must be assessed as if the 1930s are repeating themselves and every player in contemporary discourse must be assigned the role of hitler, chamberlain, Churchill, Stalin...

Personally, I think the USA and Israel fit the nazi germany and Facsist italy role - if indeed we intend to replay this tragic play. Let's face it, the casting has been poor of late. Surely we all remember what a hash of hitler role Saddam made. More lately, senior USA politicians and it's sqawking media have been working hard to get Putin to play Hitler and now Obama to play chamberlain, to netanyahu's churchill.

This is a shallow, village idiot, construct with entirely no relationship to reality.

The USA occupies 135 countries, it has since ww2 Bombed over 60 countries.
Irans crime is only that it has defied the USA. - as did Saddam and Gaddafi

You want to draw a historical parallel than the White invasion of the Americas has a much closer parallel with many of the same consequences for the natives of the lands targeted. I think of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and so many our countries around the world as native americaTribes attacked by white europeans - there is the play the USA keep replaying. It knows it's role very well.

As for Netanyahu - the less said the better.

Neville Chamberlain was a strange PM, with all the resources that he had at his disposal, he appears to have had no knowledge of the preparations for war that were going on in Britain at the time that he was 'appeasing' Hitler.

One example alone is the doings of Sidney Cotton in secretly taking aerial photographs of German 'places of interest' whilst giving Senior German Officers joy flights in Germany.
Then there were all those factories in Britain secretly preparing to go onto a war footing.

Of course Churchill praised Chamberlain, Churchill knew what was going on.

In answer to YEBIGA.

I wonder where your head is at.

Firstly the USA does not occupy 135 countries. By taking your information from disreputable sources you do yourself no justice.

They are IN 130 countries. That is a whole other issue. They have 900 bases around the world.

If you think USA and Israel fit the Nazi Germany and/or Fascist role, then sorry to say, you have rocks for brains.

And how dare you, what audacity, to compare Israel to a country which slaughtered close to 13 million people, 6 million of those being Jews.? I have no words for people of your ilk. Presuming you live in this wonderful country of Australia, you should be ashamed of yourself. Australia and Israel have a long and proud history together.

Sam c
I am not entirely sure whether your post is sarcastic or genuine.
Firstly, you split hairs whether the usa occupy 130 or 135 countries and then you finish stating that Australia and Israel have a long and proud history together. Since, Israel only came into existance after ww2, your definition of long history is less the 70 years - a single life time!
On balance, you appear to be serious when you state the nazis killed 13 million and another 6 million Jews. I suggest that the USA is responsible for more that 19 million deaths since ww2 and all the while they have convinced the better part of the world and themselves that they are good guys.

From Korea, Vietnam, half of South america, half of Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and virtually the rest of the Middle east - all the bodies get glossed over by the fervour of a sabre rattling western media. The USA is a disease a virulent deadly disease.

No one else has dropped atomic bombs on cities, no one else has a policy of routinely assassinating government leaders and orchestrating coups - they and we are a living hypocrisy a disgrace and the entire earth shudders at where this hell bent madness is headed.

South Korea was invaded without warning by North Korea.
the UN acted and:

"During the three years of the Korean War, military forces of these nations were allied as members of the UNC.
Peak strength for the UNC was 932,964 on July 27, 1953, the day the Armistice Agreement was signed:

Combat forces
South Korea – 590,911
United States – 302,483
United Kingdom – 14,198
Philippines – 7,468
Thailand – 6,326
Canada – 6,146
Turkey – 5,453
Australia – 2,282
New Zealand – 1,385
Ethiopia – 1,271
Greece – 1,263
France – 1,119
Colombia – 1,068
Belgium – 900
South Africa – 826
Netherlands – 819
Luxembourg – 44

Humanitarian aid (not counted in total above)
Denmark (the hospital ship MS Jutlandia) – 600
India - [a medical unit, the 60 Parachute Field Ambulance,"The Maroon Angels"]
Italy (Ospedale da Campo n° 68)
Norway (NORMASH)
Sweden"
From Wikipedia.

Hardly an American occupation.

I can just see it, the O holding up and email saying that we will have a radioactivity free world after being to Terhan. Chamberlain lived through, though did not fight in the meat-grinder of WWI and no doubt had friends and family and associated with people damaged in that conflagration and had a true horror.

O lived a charmed life, feted, benefiting every step from his "minority" status, coddled through "Ivy League" and acquiring the ego to match. Unfortunately having a community organiser dealing with truly evil people is not a recipe for success.

South Korea initiated over 2000 border incursions into the North prior to the break out of hostilities.
But it is not about this singular event it's about a consistent global approach for the last 70 years.
The USA has the blood of 30 million on its hands since 1945
We are dealing here with the most maniacal country in human history

Wake up - the nazis were rank amateurs in comparison the Fukyeah usa.

YEBIGA,

"South Korea initiated over 2000 border incursions into the North prior to the break out of hostilities. [Reference please].
But it is not about this singular event it's about a consistent global approach for the last 70 years...."

If it is not about Korea then why include it?

Missy
Surely you can see how damning those unc numbers are to your argument.
Aside from the local Koreans the U.S. forces are overwhelming. Whatever point you think this makes is beyond reckoning or more rightly willful ignorance.

YEBEGA,

The point is that many nations took part and that you still haven't given a reference to the alleged South Korean incursions.
Nor were the US numbers overwhelming, the Chinese were not overwhelmed.

Misse
US forces over 300,000
14 other nations combined total 50,000
There were no Chinese
If was in korea

YEBEGA,

"There were no Chinese
If was in korea"

Your astounding ignorance, frankly, astounds me.

I agree with James O'Neill. Obama is trying to distance the USA from Israel and Germany + France do not want war with Russia.

The fascist neo cons in the West and Israel are desperate because the world economy is ripping apart and they will lose all their power via the central banking system when people realise their thieving scams and bringing us all to destruction. War will be the neo cons escape. Desperate people do insane and desperate things. http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-ultimate-war-crime-americas-global-war-on-terrorism/5434478

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses...

The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent...

...There isn’t a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to.

It has its “finger men” to point out enemies, its “muscle men” to destroy enemies, its “brain men” to plan war preparations, and a “Big Boss” Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country’s most agile military force, the Marine Corps. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914.
I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909–1912 (where have I heard that name before?).

I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested. During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.

Smedley Darlington butler
1933 major general U.S. marine

My Netanyahu - right or wrong, love him or leave, you're either with us or against us, appears to be Mr Ariel's mantra. how wonderful to be able to see the world in black and white, good and bad black hats and white hats. One day soon Jonathon you may be introduced to the concept of complexity. who knows, after that perhaps you might pick up a history book and learn about another concept called historical context. until then better just stick to the batman and robin comics.

YEBIGA,

You managed to find those Chinese in Korea yet?

Those who compare Barack Obama with Neville Chamberlain would prefer him to act like Anthony Eden. But most people recognise how disastrous that would be.

Misse
Chinese in Korea ?
No idea what you are babbling about
I must have missed something
I was discussing US addiction to war
Try to keep up

How about the Soviet / Russian love of it, you may not be interested in war but it is interested in you. The non-stop whines about proxy wars their side ended up losing, the hammer and sickle was crashing and slashing there to start with.

Yebega,

Your'e having me on, no one who has presumably read anything about the Korean War could not know that without the intervention of the Chinese there would be no North Korea.

The discussion about Korea is somewhat off topic, but if it must be discussed there should at least be a sound historical basis for it. Like all wars, the Korean War did not start in a vacuum. Of considerable importance was American support for the Kuomintang during the civil war in China. When the Nationalists lost, the Americans sent warships to what was then called the Formosa Strait to prevent the communists from completing the victory. That was hugely influential in Chinese attitudes as the U.S. continually made threats against the new Chinese government.
Korea was dived along the 38th parallel at Yalta in 1945, partly as part a division of spheres of influence in the post war period. North Korea sought to reunite the country when it invaded the south in 1950. The Chinese were not involved. They did not cross the Chinese Korean border until after the U.S. and its allies had crossed into North Korea and we're heading for the Chinese border. McArthur had made plenty of threats against China and a large faction of the U.S. administration, including Truman, wanted to use nuclear arms against China.
As is well known, American belligerence to the Beijing government continued until there was a minor breakthrough with Kissinger and Nixon in 1972-73. It continues to this day in different formats.
Most serious historians think that if the Americans had been willing to adopt a sensible attitude to the Mao government in 1949-50 then the Korean War might never have happened. Unfortunately we live with the consequences of that stupidity to this day.

To get back on topic, there are many who think that Neville Chamberlain was doing all that he could to gain time for the British to prepare for war.
He became PM a year after his predecessor had overseen the setting up of tho Shadow Factories that were so important to the war effort,; Chamberlain was a member of the Government which set up the factories.
He was well aware of Britain's preparations for the inevitable war and he should be viewed as a hero rather than an appeaser.

So there is no comparison between Obama and Chamberlain.

McCackie
The contradictions within the communist systems ended the USSR and this collapse gave a temporary fillip to the USA led capitalist system.

But the contradictions within the USA led capitalist system are no less terminal and it now is also nearing total collapse.

The necessity to produce ever greater number of commodities by ever more efficient means is finally irresolvable. As more commodities are provided with the need for little or no labour the consumer must inevitably be less able to find his/her purchases of thos commodities.

The short solution of increasing consumer credit since the 1980s has permitted the problem to be kicked down the road, the release of housing equity during the late1990s early 2000s permitted the mirage to continue and since 2008/9 sovereign debt was the only place left to extend credit and keep the show rolling.

We are at the end of the road. Much of the western world is at 0% interest. In Australia our cash rate is at 2.5% and heading south. The US federal reserve and the ECB are using every financial trick they can invent to keep the show rolling on. The US government is now so entrenched in deceit that it believes if it just lies about GDP, unemployment and other key economic indicators hoping against reality that the problem will just go away

This is not the narrative you will hear on your daily tv but if you take the trouble to investigate there are few who will argue with the above.

The only game left within the current paradigm is the theft of capital, resources etc from underdeveloped but resource rich countries. This alone can delay d-day - this is the primary reason we remain at war with Islam and whywe are considering one with Russia.

YEBIGA,

The contradictions in the US is largely the cronyism rife with the O's type of politics. The Soviet system was a formal Cronyism much as is China, in the US it is still informal. All of the failed cities follow the Chicago way and are of the Cronyist not Capitalist side of politics.

Many have heard of the 3 way separation of power, Executive, Legislative and Judicial, well there is a fourth being Economic that pollies, lawyers and other low-lives (they start a sentence with "I think you should...") need to kept away from.