So why is this self-inflicted?  The key piece of evidence is what the Palestinian leader is asking for from Israel: a cessation of settlements in the Gaza strip and a return to the indefensible 1967 borders.  I wonder where he could have gotten the idea that that was ever on the table?

Obama’s gaffe in May, that the talks should start “with the 1967 borders with mutually agreed swaps” certainly emboldened Abbas to ask for what was never on the table.  Add to that, Obama’s confused and counterproductive statements on settlements.  It’s clear that Abbas is trying to leverage Obama’s gaffe-a-day administration into an unsustainable position for Israel.  So congratulations, Obama, your speeches have finally had a real-life impact.

To the north, the increasing costs of healthcare and a burdensome welfare state, drives Canada to a more benevolent form of socialism.  Poverty and cost of goods increase as free markets dry up.  Canada is not openly hostile to the United States, but it turns a blind eye as our enemies filter in and cross our mutual border.

In 2013, Venezuela, backed by the surging price of oil, becomes a regional power.  It begins to manufacture and distribute its own weapons.  It comes to terms with Canada, allowing it access to high-end military hardware and know-how.  By 2014, every Latin American dictator has Venezuelan arms.

Cuba becomes an even more fetid cesspool of communism and anti-Americanism.  Charities and putative non-governmental agencies form to offer “moral and charitable” support to Cuba, as it faces the American’s cruel, 50+ year embargo.   These charities, of course, serve another purpose: arming and training Cuban militias and infiltrators.

A steady stream of militant Cubans and their supporters flow into Florida, and our border states.  The violence escalates as the United States takes ever more aggressive measures to stem the violence.   Each Cuban killed or captured sparks outrage in all of Latin America.  Flags are burned daily and schools teach children of the Evil Empire based in Washington.  They indoctrinate their children into believing that their only hope is to give their lives for La Raza, the race.

In 2015, in response to economic sanctions, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and a handful of satellite states declare war on the United States and attempt an invasion.  The invasion fails epically.  The U.S. military seizes parts of Mexico along the border as a buffer.  The U.S. also keeps Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

By 2019, the violence is constant.  Florida cities constantly face Cuban rockets, sabotage and homicide bombers.  Thousands of citizens are killed and maimed each year.  The U.S. military periodically attacks Cuban installations, but the rockets and violence continue.

To stem the violence, in 2020, the United States Navy and Coast Guard establish a blockade around Cuba.  It searches and seizes every ship headed for Cuban ports.  It offloads legitimate aid and delivers it directly to Cubans on the island.  The violence drops precipitously.

By 2024, attempts to run the blockade grow more and more intense.  Navy SEALs are used to interdict suspicious vessels.  In one incident, the Navy SEALs repel down from a helicopter armed only with paintball guns and their sidearms for personal protection.  The allegedly “peaceful” protesters throw stun grenades, and swarm the Navy SEALs as the reach the boat.  One is thrown overboard.  Others are beaten with metal pipes, chairs and, in one case, a box of plates.  Several of the “peace activists” brandish knives.  A few of the SEALs have their weapons taken.

Battered, beaten and outnumbered by an armed, rioting crowd, the SEALs fire their weapons in self-defense.  They disarm their attackers, 12 of whom are killed.  7 SEALs are injured, 2 critically.  It is later found that the boat, ostensibly carrying humanitarian aid, was also carrying gas masks, night vision goggles and bullet proof vests.  The ship was registered in Mexico and owned by a group known to fund Cuban extremism.

So the question is, how harsh should the U.N. sanctions be against the United States as the aggressor?