"Bad Things" to Happen if U.S. Strikes IRAN /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Jeremy Scahill

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Jeremy Scahill uses a boxing metaphor, arguing the U.S. may have delivered a “kidney punch” to itself—engaging in wars, backing destructive policies, and projecting hostility (especially since post-9/11 conflicts)—without yet feeling the long-term consequences. While the U.S. may win tactically, he warns that morally and strategically it is damaging its global standing and identity, creating future blowback.

Turning to Gaza, he criticizes Mike Huckabee for defending Israel’s actions and rejecting the idea that Israel should fund reconstruction. Huckabee blames Hamas entirely for Gaza’s destruction and argues Israel instead deserves reparations for the October 7 attacks.

The speaker rejects that framing, saying portraying Hamas as equivalent to ISIS or al-Qaeda is misleading and enables dehumanization of Palestinians. He argues Gaza is a highly educated society with professionals and diverse political views, not a monolith. Even if Hamas disappeared, he says, Palestinian resistance would persist because of long-standing grievances dating back to 1948. He criticizes proposals to reshape Gaza economically or politically without Palestinian self-determination, portraying them as unrealistic and oppressive.

He also warns that U.S. policymakers—citing figures like Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz—are overly confident after perceived foreign policy “successes” (e.g., Venezuela), which may encourage further risky interventions, including against Iran. He calls this “catastrophic success,” where short-term wins fuel dangerous overreach.

In closing, he argues that U.S. foreign policy under Trump blends neoconservative regime-change thinking, interventionist “humanitarian” rhetoric, and older CIA-style covert action traditions. However, he expresses hope in the rise of independent media and cross-partisan dialogue, suggesting growing public skepticism toward war could eventually shift U.S. policy away from what he sees as a dangerous trajectory.