Let Us Start Off Our New Year Right: War with Iran Here We Come
Iran and the United States are heading down the war path, and it appears that the Trump administration is not interested in halting the hostilities. Further military confrontation could lead to dire consequences for Americans because Iran is a more powerful and populous country than Iraq. Fighting such a war would not be quick or simple, and the conflict would have the potential to usher in World War III. Do we really need another war in the Middle East? Looking at historical precedents, a war with Iran would not solve the issues of the region, and it would likely just cause more down the road. So, why antagonize Iran then? Could it be because Iran is non-compliant in the United States-dominated global economic order and the military defense contractors are looking to make more money off of war?
Let us put aside the intentions for war, including with the military-industrial complex and ambitions for global empire, and dig into whether a war with Iran is justified and would be a rational choice for the American people, and let us do this outside of the influence of government officials and the mainstream media, which is only opposing the moves against Iran for partisan and anti-Trump reasons (President Obama also bombed several countries and killed thousands of civilians and military members alike without congressional approval). Iran and the United States have been in a de facto state of war since 1953 when the United States overthrew Iran’s democratically-elected government and replaced it with a brutal dictatorship, which led to the 1979 revolution and hostage crisis that most people are familiar with.
Because of this state of war, the United States has placed economic sanctions against Iran to curb the alleged nuclear weapons development, but these sanctions have devastated the Iranian economy and made life much more difficult for the average Iranians (a form of economic terrorism). In conjunction with this cruel form of “justice,” the United States has surrounded Iran with military bases and has made it clear that the intentions are to one day bring down the Iranian government. Iran has reciprocated and stood up to the United States, which is considered a no-no to the American Empire. Iran has supported proxy groups throughout the Middle East that have led to the deaths of American troops, but the United States has also supported terrorist groups within Iran. The United States does not have the moral high ground when it comes to Persia.
When President Trump approved the airstrike on Quds Force General Soleimani, it was clearly an assassination attempt and an act of war. Some will claim, though without citing evidence, that Soleimani was planning imminent attacks against the United States and that Iran was responsible for the attack in Iraq that killed an American contractor and the subsequent embassy breach. First of all, Soleimani was one man, and an operation does not cease because one man dies. Therefore, American troops will still be in danger (if the evidence of imminent attacks proves to be true) because the Quds Force and Iran’s proxies are still out and about in Iraq and other countries. Secondly, Iran has denied involvement in the attack, and although this does not necessarily mean that it was not involved in some capacity, blaming Iran for the work of Kataib Hezbollah is like blaming the United States for an Israeli attack on Gaza or Saudi Arabia for slaughtering civilians in Yemen. Supporting terrorist groups is terrible, but should you really justify bombing a country because of it?
American troops are in danger being in close proximity to Iran, and it would make the most sense if they were withdrawn and brought back to defend the United States and not the global empire. This would ensure that the United States would be able to defend its own borders and not cause more chaos in the Middle East (for example, Iraq). However, this would require more strength and restraint than most American presidents possess.
The Iraqi parliament has already taken the first step to kicking American troops out of the country anyway because the United States military decided to strike targets in the country without that government’s approval, so why not just take the next step? In order to feel less humiliated, the United States announced that it has largely ended its fight against ISIS and is now primarily focused on protecting Iraqi bases from Iran-backed groups. The question then becomes: if we are just defending coalition forces against Iran and that is it, why do we even need a continued presence there? Could we not just defend our troops from Iran in our own territory? We need to save our hard-working men and women in uniform from calamity by bringing the troops home, but of course, the Trump administration just decided to deploy thousands more to the region.
Ultimately, both sides have their hardliners and their own faults in the situation, but instead of keeping the conflict brewing, why not find a compromise? Politicians and corporations may benefit from a war, but Americans will not. A war will mean more American troops killed, the potential for a draft because Iran is not a small and weak country like some of the ones our government has invaded, destruction of infrastructure and death to civilians, the opening up of the United States to more terrorist attacks at home and abroad, and the possibility of the entrance of Russia and other countries into the fray. Not to mention, just like with almost every other country that is invaded by the United States, Iran will turn into a worse mess than it already is, and several years down the road, the United States will be at odds with the new regime in Iran. We need to end this conflict before it gets more out of hand and leads us down a road that we cannot return from, but I guess turning the other cheek and seeking peace is not in our culture.
This just in: Iran has fired missiles at U.S. facilities in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani, so um, yeah, here we go.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.
Let us put aside the intentions for war, including with the military-industrial complex and ambitions for global empire, and dig into whether a war with Iran is justified and would be a rational choice for the American people, and let us do this outside of the influence of government officials and the mainstream media, which is only opposing the moves against Iran for partisan and anti-Trump reasons (President Obama also bombed several countries and killed thousands of civilians and military members alike without congressional approval). Iran and the United States have been in a de facto state of war since 1953 when the United States overthrew Iran’s democratically-elected government and replaced it with a brutal dictatorship, which led to the 1979 revolution and hostage crisis that most people are familiar with.
Because of this state of war, the United States has placed economic sanctions against Iran to curb the alleged nuclear weapons development, but these sanctions have devastated the Iranian economy and made life much more difficult for the average Iranians (a form of economic terrorism). In conjunction with this cruel form of “justice,” the United States has surrounded Iran with military bases and has made it clear that the intentions are to one day bring down the Iranian government. Iran has reciprocated and stood up to the United States, which is considered a no-no to the American Empire. Iran has supported proxy groups throughout the Middle East that have led to the deaths of American troops, but the United States has also supported terrorist groups within Iran. The United States does not have the moral high ground when it comes to Persia.
When President Trump approved the airstrike on Quds Force General Soleimani, it was clearly an assassination attempt and an act of war. Some will claim, though without citing evidence, that Soleimani was planning imminent attacks against the United States and that Iran was responsible for the attack in Iraq that killed an American contractor and the subsequent embassy breach. First of all, Soleimani was one man, and an operation does not cease because one man dies. Therefore, American troops will still be in danger (if the evidence of imminent attacks proves to be true) because the Quds Force and Iran’s proxies are still out and about in Iraq and other countries. Secondly, Iran has denied involvement in the attack, and although this does not necessarily mean that it was not involved in some capacity, blaming Iran for the work of Kataib Hezbollah is like blaming the United States for an Israeli attack on Gaza or Saudi Arabia for slaughtering civilians in Yemen. Supporting terrorist groups is terrible, but should you really justify bombing a country because of it?
American troops are in danger being in close proximity to Iran, and it would make the most sense if they were withdrawn and brought back to defend the United States and not the global empire. This would ensure that the United States would be able to defend its own borders and not cause more chaos in the Middle East (for example, Iraq). However, this would require more strength and restraint than most American presidents possess.
The Iraqi parliament has already taken the first step to kicking American troops out of the country anyway because the United States military decided to strike targets in the country without that government’s approval, so why not just take the next step? In order to feel less humiliated, the United States announced that it has largely ended its fight against ISIS and is now primarily focused on protecting Iraqi bases from Iran-backed groups. The question then becomes: if we are just defending coalition forces against Iran and that is it, why do we even need a continued presence there? Could we not just defend our troops from Iran in our own territory? We need to save our hard-working men and women in uniform from calamity by bringing the troops home, but of course, the Trump administration just decided to deploy thousands more to the region.
Ultimately, both sides have their hardliners and their own faults in the situation, but instead of keeping the conflict brewing, why not find a compromise? Politicians and corporations may benefit from a war, but Americans will not. A war will mean more American troops killed, the potential for a draft because Iran is not a small and weak country like some of the ones our government has invaded, destruction of infrastructure and death to civilians, the opening up of the United States to more terrorist attacks at home and abroad, and the possibility of the entrance of Russia and other countries into the fray. Not to mention, just like with almost every other country that is invaded by the United States, Iran will turn into a worse mess than it already is, and several years down the road, the United States will be at odds with the new regime in Iran. We need to end this conflict before it gets more out of hand and leads us down a road that we cannot return from, but I guess turning the other cheek and seeking peace is not in our culture.
This just in: Iran has fired missiles at U.S. facilities in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of Soleimani, so um, yeah, here we go.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.
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