I fear the recent attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel do less to undermine the regime of Iran than they underline its main tenants. Decapitating the government by assassinating Khamenei is pursuing regime change with a sledgehammer. Striking hospitals and schools prove Western disregard for Iranian lives, undermining the case of humanitarianism.
Being anti-invasion does not mean being pro-Iranian regime. The tightrope between the two is thin but walkable and threaded by international law. We must be consistent in our condemnations, or they mean nothing. In praising American and Israeli unilateralism, we undermine Ukraine’s legal case for resistance. Do not let them have you believe politics is about dichotomous choices; with us or against us. This was not a pre-emptive strike; this was a war of choice.
The verdict of history will come down harshly on those recklessly calling for fire and fury and those who underestimate the horrors of chaos. I do hope I am proved wrong in my fear and that the aftermath will see the emergence of a free and democratic Iran where all will live happily ever after. It is, however, a naïve hope undermined by the disastrous history of previous unilateral half-baked interventions and President Donald Trump’s transactional view of international relations.
I have seen many turn to former-MP Tony Benn’s brilliant speech from 1988 against the bombing of Iraq, and so have I. The speech is worth a watch as it emotionally effectively captures the horrors of war and the costs of recklessness. “Don’t Arab and Iraqi women weep when their children die” he cries, “doesn’t bombing strengthen their determination! What fools we are to live in a generation for which war is a computer game for our children and just an interesting little Channel 4 news item.”
I am positive that ‘mission accomplished’ will be called soon enough. Trump will stand grinning on a stage with a new custom made ‘victory’ cap being sold on trumpstore.com for the modest price of 55 dollars. He will count the number of wars he has stopped and add this one to the fold. He will rail against a dangerous religious state before concluding with a passionate “God bless America.” In the background, Iran will be free, in flames, or getting back to its repressive ways. Don’t let anyone tell you they know which is to come. The die has been cast; we cannot fully control how it will fall.
Photo by Tianlei Wu on Unsplash