War is a Zero Sum Game: We Lost

The US Constitution requires that treaties the executive branch of government negotiate be submitted to the Senate for its advise and consent. Article II Section 2 requires a supermajority of two thirds of senators present and voting to ratify a treaty through a resolution of ratification.

Lawyers,of course,,are well paid to manipulate the law and facts in favor of their client. Constitutional lawyers, despite their high falutin title are ultimately of no greater repute than ambulance chasers who advertise on television. They have learned how to render the Constitution irrelevant so their client can have his/her way. Executive orders, Joint Comprehensive Plans of Action (JCPOA) , Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ,are all sophisticated ways of evading the requirement of senate approval. And who pays the price? The masters of the politicians ,that is the voting public. Elected and government officials are public servants, but not anymore, They have become the masters, and the voting public, the masters, have become the servants. Why take a chance on Senate rejection when they can be evaded completely as the lords of the executive branch impose their will on the nation?

Today, American Pravda, masquerading as the so called newspaper of record known as the New York Times reported on the MoU between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Let's put this agreement into context with an understanding of the recent Iran America War. War is a zero sum game. It's like the recent victory of the NY Knicks over the San Antonio Spurs. Someone wins and someone loses. Famed sportswriter Grantland Rice is known for the quote "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game". Rice emphasized the importance of integrity, effort and sportsmanship over the final score. This is in contradiction to the famous quote of football coach Vince Lonbardi who said "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing". Real life, and war in particular, are not games and are deadly real. It's not a game yet someone wins and someone loses. Mathematical game theory is widely used by academics, businessmen and the military in determining strategy and winning is the goal. There is ony one winner and the contra party, by definition, is the loser. Both sides are not winners. War is not a win-win game.

World War II was a zero sum game. Forgive me for using the term "game". Not for a moment was it a game, but that is the term used in "game theory". Unlike World War I where the defeated side did not recognize that it lost, in World War II (WW II) it was crystal clear who the winners and losers were. The US and USSR were the winners and the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) were the losers. It was clear to everyone everywhere. The war aim of the allied powers was unconditional surrender. The maintenance in the defeated nations of their governments was intolerable and unacceptable. Germany had to be denazified and imperial Japan had to be democratized. No ifs, ands, buts or maybes. These nations were occupied as the victors imposed their will on the defeated. Rather questionable was whether France can be considered as a victor in WW II. Allied charity gave the defeated France an occupation zone in Germany and a permanent seat in the UN Security Council and French provisional President Charles de Gaulle procalimed French "gloire". The unstable fourth French Republic tried to pretend it was a world power until its ambitions collapsed at Dien Bien Phu (1954) with the downfall of French Indo China. French importance and prestige suffered its final end with the decolonization of their possessions in the 1950s and 1960s. General de Gaulle, called out of retirement to save the French Republic, established the Fifth Republic, currently led by its failed president Emmanuel Macron who continues to hallucinate that his country is of any importance. The other questionable victor of WW II was the United Kingdom (UK). Its glory of past centuries rapidly faded with the loss of its empire starting with Indian independence (1947). Europe was in terrible condition after WW II and the European Recovery (Marshall) Plan, proposed by US Secretary of State George Marshall, saved Europe. The UK continues to sit permanently in the Security Council. What they are doing there is anyone's guess. The failed British Prime Minster, Keir Starmer, is on the ropes as his own Labour Party has tired of his incompetence. He and his French counterpart Macron are as important as the dogs barking at the moon, but regrettably, their seats on the Security Council give them a platform to make noise and the US government, for reasons that are unclear, pays attention to their barking.

President Trump, under pressure domestically because of a rise in gasoline prices and inflation running at about 3.5% annually has hastened to end the war with Iran on less than optimal terms. The Hudna (cease fire) has worked to Iran's advantage as they have utilized the time to rearm and strengthen themselves.The MoU clearly indicates an Iranian victory, and thus, an American loss. Washington's spin doctors can carry on all they want but it is clear to all. What were America's war aims? Can we, and indeed the world, live together with the Iranian dictatorship?  This war was not a war over territory. It was an ideological war and these tend to be interminable until one side wins. Does anyone believe that the ideology of the Iranian leadership has changed one iota? The Battle of Karbala is onging, whether the American or European man in the streets has any idea about it. The Ayatollahs live that battle every day of their lives and it is not yet over as far as they are concerned. The MoU states that the Strait of Hormuz will be open. Yet it was open before we went to war, So we accomplished nothing in that area. Will Iran give up their nuclear ambitions? Is the Brooklyn Bridge for sale? Will Iran sever ties with their Shiite proxies in Lebanon and Yemen? They have insisted that Israeli self defense against Hizbollah stop. The US has acceeded to that demand. Does that mean Israel must submit to rocket attacks with impunity for Iran's proxies? That is no agreement whatsoever. It is totally one-sided in favor of the instigator of this war, Islamic Iran. Iran has shown its level of civilization using outlawed poison gas in its decade long war with Iraq and utilizing banned cluster bombs against civilian populations in Israel. The American Fifth Column and partisan press attack the US for siding with civilization and calls this a war of choice. On the contrary, it is a just and necessry war. It is literally a struggle for the future of civilization. The lessons of French and British actions or lack of actions, during the 1930s make it clear that we cannot risk such behavior again for "peace in our time". Yes, peace is always better than war but will there ever be peace with ayatollah run Iran? Who wants to take a chance on it? Are the Iranian signatures on the MoU worth anything or will they cheat the accursed infidels (US)? The MoU seems to give Iran a windfall or $300 Billion. Yes, it's their money. All sanctions will be lifted, and what does the powerful "Great Satan" (the US) get in return? Some more hudna, the curses of the Iranian regime and the snake's smile. It's a long way from achieving the goal of regime change, the dream of democracy and freedom for the Iranian people and a true, meaningul mideast and indeed world peace.

This MoU is a disaster of the first order. The US has been abandoned by its aliies who worry about the price of oil. Our Article V NATO allies are useless. The UN is worthless as Russia and China enjoy the West's problems and supine passivity. Let us remember what Marshal Foch told French Premier Clemanceau at the signing of the Versailles Treaty (1919). "they'll be back in twenty years". They (the Germans ) were. This is only Act I of Iran's mischief. They will be back stronger than ever. We have failed and we have lost. Iran won. Remember what Vince Lombardi said about winning.This is a zero sum game.

The reader is referred to previous posts on this blog.

1. Doveryay no Proveryay (Trust but Verify) May 25, 2026

2. The Responsibility of the Iranian People May 13, 2026

3. Quote of the Day: On Iran, Human Rights and Democracy April 22, 2026

Garry S. Sklar

Atlantic City, NJ

June 17, 2026