Mr. Carlson has no sympathies with either Iran or Hamas. But love him or hate him, he’s stumbled upon the archaic idea that he must talk to his enemies in order to make peace.
This pool photo distributed by Russian government agency Sputnik shows Russian President Vladimir Putin interviewing American talk show host Tucker Carlson at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 6, 2024. (Photo by Gavriil) GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP)
On February 8, controversial former Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson aired a previously recorded interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, drawing both praise and anger depending on his political stance. invited.
Mr Carlson comes two years after Russia’s invasion of its western neighbor, facing accusations of treason, particularly by supporters of Ukraine such as former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and a large number of supporters of the US-led NATO alliance supporting Kiev’s government. caused a large-scale conflict. .
The interview was broadcast live on X (formerly Twitter), with Carlson bypassing any television networks.
Many in the Some even recommended it. Some drew comparisons to US media interviews with the late Iranian supreme leader Khomeini and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Mr. Carlson is unlikely to take up their challenges, but his erratic politics [including on the Middle East]an anti-intervention stance, and most importantly, the pursuit of evaluation means that anything is possible.
The New Arab reached out to Carlson via X, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
What does Tucker Carlson think about Iran and Hamas?
Carlson claims his motivation for interviewing Putin was “peaceful.”
In fact, despite being a Conservative, he believed, primarily from a fiscal standpoint, that money spent on wars should be devoted to “America First” rather than aligning with the Conservative Party. He represents a faction on the American right that has always been skeptical of American intervention in foreign countries. Parts of the military-industrial complex fight other countries’ wars.
This faction is well represented in former President Donald Trump’s base, whose allies in Congress have voted against further military aid to Ukraine.
Following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, Carlson condemned the Palestinian group but expressed skepticism about US military aid to Israel.
“The big question is how to encourage Israel to respond to the horrific Hamas attack. Wisdom and long-term thinking are essential, but even knowing that is not what we are getting. I wouldn’t be surprised,” Carlson said presciently. “War begets more wars. The bigger the conflict, the uglier and longer the consequences. These are not complicated observations, but our leadership seems to have lost sight of them.”
“This was an attack on America. [Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley] That wasn’t the case, he added. “To do that, we need to ‘end’ Iran, a country of 90 million people,” he said, deriding Haley’s words as a “child’s tantrum.”
“What would happen to the United States if we declared war on Iran and started blowing up its infrastructure?” Carlson asked, warning of the nuclear implications and the possibility of an unprecedented energy crisis.
Long before the genocidal war in Gaza, Carlson strongly opposed Donald Trump’s assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and further war with Iran. He even called for the US to withdraw from Iraq, an issue that remains prominent today.
Of course, this does not mean that Mr. Carlson is sympathetic to Iran or Hamas. But love him or hate him, he stumbled upon the rational, if outdated, idea that in order to make peace, he must talk to his enemies.