Sánchez demands Trump end hostilities: "No to war"

MadridDonald Trump's threats have not altered Pedro Sánchez's discourse on the war in the Middle East in the slightest. On the contrary, the Spanish Prime Minister has used the clash with the President of the United States to formally declare his position on the war with Iran and the principles that will guide his government's foreign policy. Sánchez summarized it thus: "No to war." He demanded a cessation of hostilities from the United States, Israel, and the Iranian regime. "The world cannot resolve conflicts with bombs, and we cannot repeat the mistakes of the past," he reaffirmed. Sánchez referred directly to the precedent of the Iraq War, in which Spain held a very different position than it does now. The government of José María Aznar, of the People's Party (PP), embraced George Bush's strategy and supported the military invasion under the pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction. "Twenty-three years ago, another US administration dragged us into another war in the Middle East, ostensibly to eliminate weapons of mass destruction and guarantee global security [...], but it had the opposite effect. It generated a drastic increase in jihadist terrorism, a migration crisis, and soaring energy costs. This was the gift of the Azores trio: a worse life," he declared, making a clear reference to domestic politics as well.

The "no to war" slogan is a direct jab at the People's Party (PP), since it was the slogan that resonated with the public in 2003 when Aznar supported the United States. Now Sánchez is reviving it. the strategy to corner Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who has aligned himself with Trump. "The question is not whether we are on the side of the ayatollahs, whose regime repudiates us, but whether we are on the side of international law," he reaffirmed, in response to accusations from the PP and Vox parties of supporting the Iranian dictatorship.

This wasn't the only reference to past conflicts Sánchez made. He also spoke about the First World War to warn that the United States and Israel are playing with fire, and that an escalation of the conflict could have unforeseen consequences. He recalled how in August 1914 someone asked the German Chancellor how the Great War had started: "I wish I knew," he said the German replied, and warned: "Great wars break out due to a series of miscalculations and unforeseen events. We have to learn from history and not play Russian roulette with the lives of millions of people."

The Spanish president's speech was an ode to diplomacy and peace, as well as a defense of the Charter of the United Nations and the values ​​of the European Union. "We are on the side we have to be on," he said. The leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, however, openly disagreed with the Spanish president, as he believes his strategy isolates Spain. He accused him of "appeasing the Iranian regime" as he did with Venezuela and called for preserving relations with the United States, arguing that Sánchez is using his political needs to act against national security. "Today, Spain is less secure, more unstable," he summarized at a breakfast briefing in the Basque Country.

At the other extreme, Podemos has asked the Spanish government to put its "no to war" stance into practice: Secretary General Ione Belarra demanded the closure of the US bases in Rota and Morón, Spain's withdrawal from NATO and the severing of relations with the United States, as well as intervention in housing, food, and medicine prices. Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo has already rejected the idea: "Spain must continue to operate within the framework of NATO allies."

Measures in case the war drags on

Beyond the political rhetoric, and as the Moncloa Palace did yesterday, Sánchez also guaranteed that Spain has the necessary resources to respond to a potential trade war with the United States. He assured that the PSOE-Sumar coalition government is working on measures to mitigate the impacts of the war if it drags on, just as it did with the energy crisis, the tariff crisis, and the pandemic, to help the self-employed, businesses, and families. "We have to be prepared for the possibility that this war will be long, with many casualties and serious global economic consequences," he summarized, while making it clear that, in his opinion, "a fairer international order, higher wages, or better public services will not emerge from this war": "Spain is against this disaster." He also condemned Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for launching the attack now, arguing that Iran is developing nuclear weapons: "It is unacceptable that there are leaders who use the smoke of war to hide their failures and, in the process, line the pockets of the same old crowd. The only ones who win when hospitals are not built and missiles are manufactured."

We'll have to see whether Sánchez's arguments now have the support or not. approval of the main European leaders, They are currently experiencing an increase in military spending to 5% – Spain has only agreed to raise it to 2%, which has also led to a confrontation with Trump. Where the EU has offered support is on the threat of a trade war: the European Commission has reminded the United States that there is a signed agreement on tariffs and it must be honored.

Sánchez boasts of his "consistency"

One of the words most frequently used by the Moncloa Palace when discussing its foreign policy is "consistency," and the Spanish president emphasized this again on Wednesday: he defended his stance on the war in Iran, stating that it follows the same principles as those used with Gaza, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Greenland, namely, adhering to international law. This point is key to maximizing the benefits of foreign policy domestically.The Moncloa strategy to gain ground against the PP and VoxIn foreign policy, public opinion supports Sánchez: in the latest CIS, For example, 76.5% of Spaniards said they had a "bad or very bad" opinion of Trump. And as many as 79.5% believe he is a "danger to world peace."

For the Spanish government, politics has now abandoned the left-right axis and is framed as a choice between "democrats" and the "modern fascism" they believe Trump represents. Within this framework, they want to portray Pedro Sánchez as the antithesis of the American leader, whose allies in Spain are the People's Party (PP) and Vox. In other words, Sánchez's team intends for the upcoming elections to be framed not simply as a choice between Sánchez or the Feijóo-Abascal tandem, but rather as a choice between Sánchez or a world dominated by Trump and his allies.