Scott talks to Giorgio Cafiero about the latest push for Sudan to join the group of countries officially normalizing ties with Israel. Cafiero thinks these official normalization deals are somewhat significant, but reminds us that none of the countries to sign such deals have actually been at war with Israel, and so the deals do not accomplish nearly as much as the Trump administration claims that they do. In Sudan in particular, Cafiero fears that a new deal with Isreal could jeopardize an uneasy peace only recently established after huge protests in 2018 and 2019 resulted in the overthrow of Sudan’s decades-long dictatorship. Cafiero says these deals are mostly a ploy to improve Trump’s image ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Discussed on the show:
“Trump administration twists Sudan’s arm to establish new Israel ties” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)
“The US push for Sudan to normalize relations with Israel won’t be so easy” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)
“Oman plays it safe on Israel” (Middle East Institute)
“Biden and the Saudi quagmire in Yemen ” (Al-Araby)
Giorgio Cafiero is the CEO and founder of Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Washington, DC. He writes regularly for the Middle East Institute, The National Interest, and LobeLog. Find him on Twitter @GiorgioCafiero.
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Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from this website. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Visit https://scotthorton.org