---

 [ ARCHIVE ](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive)

#  Oh, No, Not Peace!

September 30 2013

Written by Matthew Rothschild.

<a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)

***![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Sept-2013/cw11079i.png)Guest commentary*-**All of a sudden, peace has broken out, and the neocons couldn’t be more upset.

**Charles Krauthammer** of The Washington Post is practically apoplectic.

**William Kristol** of the Weekly Standard compares President Obama to Neville Chamberlain.

You know when they wheel out their hackneyed Hitler analogies, they’re getting desperate.

And what, exactly, is the problem?

It’s far preferable that the United States and the United Nations have prevailed on **Syria** to destroy its chemical weapons than for the U.S. to have launched missiles into Syria, which would have widened the civil war there in dangerous directions and strengthened Al Qaeda’s hand.

And it’s far preferable that the United States is talking with Iran about ending any nuclear weapons program instead of scheming with Israel to bomb Iran. A U.S. or Israeli attack would have only delayed such a program by a year or two and would have provoked retaliation by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel and threatened the flow of oil through the Persian Gulf, rattling the world economy.

For too long, the United States has relied on war-making and coup-making to get its way in the world, and under the regime of **Bush and Cheney**, war was the most overused tool in the shed, while diplomacy rusted.

**Barack Obama** has now brought diplomacy back, and it’s about time.

***(Matthew Rothschild is the editor of [The Progressive](http://www.progressive.org/) magazine … where this piece was first posted.)***

***-cw***

**CityWatch**

**Vol 11 Issue 79**

**Pub: Oct 1, 2013**

 [ ![save up to 4000 on used evs](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20ev%20ad2.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/107 "LA DWP | Save $4K, Green | Priority Ad")

 [ ![Donna Tryfman](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/Donna-Tryfman-Ad-Final-Complete-Border-White-Margin.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/98 "Donna Tryfman - HS1-1")

 [ ![LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/2026%20LADWP%20PowerSavers%20300x250.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/82 "LA DWP #2 (Power Savers)")

 [ ![David DeJute Campaign](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/DejuteAd.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/111 "David DeJute Campaign")

 [ ![Pay Water Bill Help](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/LADWP/dwp%20-%20cares-ad.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/97 "Home - LA DWP #2 (Pay Water Bill Help)")

 [ ![Anna Reitano Vertical R. Col](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/ADS%20FOR%202026/reitano%20vertical%20rework.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/component/banners/click/112 "Anna Reitano Vertical R. Col")

 ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/banners/signup-for-cw.png)

## Get The News In Your Email Inbox Mondays & Thursdays

 Name

 ---

##  Featured CityWatch Stories

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/8c/074h-8ccaaf79.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33349-l-a-county-faces-a-government-shake-up)

### [L.A. County Faces a Government Shake-Up](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33349-l-a-county-faces-a-government-shake-up)

WESTSIDE - Currently larger than 40 states in terms of population with roughly 10 million residents, Los Angeles County…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/17/074g-17fdff1c.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/voices/33346-before-we-ask-god-to-judge-us-the-jewish-people-must-judge-ourselves)

### [Before We Ask God to Judge Us, the Jewish People Must Judge Ourselves](https://www.citywatchla.com/voices/33346-before-we-ask-god-to-judge-us-the-jewish-people-must-judge-ourselves)

Yom Kippur demands more than personal repentance. At a defining moment for Jews everywhere, it asks whether we have tru…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/a0/075c-a0f1e7b1.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/voices/33372-the-greater-israel-delusion-may-undo-israel)

### [The Greater Israel Delusion May Undo Israel](https://www.citywatchla.com/voices/33372-the-greater-israel-delusion-may-undo-israel)

ANNEXATION - The vision of “Greater Israel” draws on maximalist readings of biblical verses, especially Genesis 15:18–2…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/41/075i-41edaa2b.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/world-watch/33366-israels-political-map-is-being-redrawn)

### [Israel’s Political Map Is Being Redrawn](https://www.citywatchla.com/world-watch/33366-israels-political-map-is-being-redrawn)

NETANYAHUISM - The next Israeli election may be about something larger than Benjamin Netanyahu. For the first time in a…

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/media/yootheme/cache/63/074j-63285bf8.jpg) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33347-la-stop-the-war-on-cars-they-arent-going-away)

### [LA, Stop the War on Cars. They Aren’t Going Away](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/33347-la-stop-the-war-on-cars-they-arent-going-away)

LA TRANSPO - For anyone traversing the San Fernando Valley, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Los Angeles is sp…

---

##  [ ARCHIVE ](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Apr-2018/034e.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)### [Early Intervention and Jobs are Key to Stemming Chronic Homelessness in Los Angeles](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/15339-early-intervention-and-jobs-are-key-to-stemming-chronic-homelessness-in-los-angeles)

### [Tucker Carlson and Gay Rightwinger Blame California Wildfires On Hiring LGBTQ People](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/18755-tucker-carlson-and-gay-rightwinger-blame-california-wildfires-on-hiring-lgbtq-people)

### [Anti-LGBTQ Veep Just Can’t Stop Talking about Mayor Pete](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/17690-anti-lgbtq-veep-just-can-t-stop-talking-about-mayor-pete)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Apr-2018/033j.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)### [NEWS PULSE: ‘Corrupt System’ Reason for Not Voting in 2018 … Majority Wants More Than Two Parties](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/15316-news-pulse-corrupt-system-reason-for-not-voting-in-2018-majority-wants-more-than-two-parties)

 [ ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Jan-2016/1404d.png) ](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)### [Dead Dog Set on Fire … Sparks Fears for Strays in Los Angeles](https://www.citywatchla.com/archive/10245-dead-dog-set-on-fire-sparks-fears-for-strays-in-los-angeles)
