Putin the boy: the mischief maker who learned to blame the others – Google Search google.com/search?q=Putin+th…
Putin the boy: the mischief maker who learned to blame the others – Google Search google.com/search?q=Putin+th…
Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Ariel Sharon and Iran-Contra affair – Google Search
Ariel Sharon played a direct, foundational role in early Israel-Iran arms channels and regional maneuvers that later intertwined with the origins of the Iran–Contra affair. [1, 2]
Role as Defense Minister (1981–1983)
Arms Sales to Iran: As Israel’s Defense Minister, Sharon publicly and privately defended and oversaw Israeli arms sales and spare parts shipments to Iran during the Iran–Iraq War, operating on the strategic premise that Iraq was Israel’s primary threat. [1, 2]
U.S. Authorization Conflicts: In 1981, an arrangement was made with U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig allowing case-by-case reviews of U.S.-origin equipment transfers to Iran. However, the U.S. rescinded the agreement in 1982 after concluding that Sharon was shipping American-made military hardware to Iran without proper U.S. clearance. [1]
1982 Anti-Khomeini Coup Plot: According to historical accounts such as Samuel Segev’s The Iranian Triangle: The Untold Story of Israel’s Role in the Iran-Contra Affair, Sharon met secretly in Kenya in 1982 with Saudi businessman Adnan Khashoggi and associates connected to Reza Pahlavi (son of the deposed Shah of Iran) to back a planned coup against Iran’s government. Sharon allegedly agreed to provide up to $800 million in arms and instruction, though the plot collapsed after Sharon was forced to resign as Defense Minister. The Kahan Commission had found him indirectly responsible for the Sabra and Shatila refugee camp massacres. [1]
Connection to the Iran-Contra Scandal (1985–1986)
Laying the Groundwork: Israel’s initial intelligence and logistical channels to Iran—championed and expanded by figures like Sharon, David Kimche, and arms dealers in the early-to-mid 1980s—paved the way for the later U.S. “arms-for-hostages” dealings with Iran. [1, 2]
Central America and the Contras: Israel also acted as an early conduit for military assistance to the Nicaraguan Contras before and during the period when the Reagan administration sought to bypass U.S. congressional restrictions (such as the Boland Amendment), embedding Sharon’s earlier defense-establishment policies into the broader triangular web of Israel, Iran, and the U.S.–Contra operations. [1, 2, 3, 4]
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“The Bulldozer”Ariel Sharon and the CIA: a complex relationship – Google Search google.com/search?q=%22The+B…
Ariel Sharon, famously nicknamed “The Bulldozer” for his aggressive and uncompromising military and political style [0.8], shared a pragmatic, tense, and deeply strategic relationship with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and American security apparatus over several decades. [1, 2]
Key Aspects of the Relationship
The 1982 Lebanon War and CIA Director William Casey:
As Israel’s Defense Minister, Sharon met with CIA Director William Casey in early 1982 to discuss Israel’s planned invasion of Lebanon to push out the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Sharon sought and explored U.S./CIA alignment or covert backing for regional moves against Soviet-allied or radical factions, though the relationship strained significantly as the humanitarian toll and political fallout of the 1982 Lebanon War—including the Sabra and Shatila massacres—unfolded. [1, 2, 3]
Intelligence Sharing vs. Strategic Suspicion:
While Israeli intelligence (Mossad) and the CIA maintained deep institutional cooperation on counterterrorism, regional monitoring, and Soviet-era intelligence, Sharon was viewed by U.S. officials as fiercely independent and difficult to control. American diplomats and intelligence analysts often worried that Sharon’s unilateral actions would destabilize regional ceasefires or entangle Washington in wider Middle Eastern crises. [1]
The Post-9/11 Era and Prime Minister Tenure (2001–2006):
When Sharon became Prime Minister in 2001, his dealings with U.S. intelligence and administrations (such as George W. Bush’s team) shifted into a different phase. U.S. officials engaged in frequent high-level security coordination—including visits by CIA Director George Tenet to broker truces during the Second Intifada. [1, 2, 3]
The Ambivalent Alliance:
Observers of Sharon’s career, such as analyses from the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that Sharon inherently recognized the United States as Israel’s most vital strategic ally, yet remained perpetually suspicious that Washington would pressure him into territorial or security concessions he deemed dangerous. [1]