Unholy nexus January 19, 2021 There is an idiom in Western politics, ‘wag the dog’, which refers to creating a diversion from a damaging issue. With regard to the media, it is also referred to as changing the news cycle. When done effectively, it can help politicians survive even the most crippling of scandals or other problems. Some of the more famous military examples could include the Falklands War, which helped British PM Margret Thatcher win an election she was expected to lose, and US President George HW Bush’s Iraq invasion, which was not enough to carry him to victory. US President Bill Clinton’s bombing of Sudan and Afghanistan and President Donald Trump’s assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani are also examples that helped divert attention from non-election issues — their respective impeachments.