Thinking Out LoudThe conflict in Iran sparks searing ambivalence, along with deep concern.
On one side of the coin, this “war” feels astoundingly reckless – a massive bombing campaign, calamitous destruction to an end that seems to shift day by day. It’s clear there is no exit map, no concept of what the Middle East – the world – may look like when the bombing ends or in five or 10 years, and no thought for what the global ramifications may be. As always, innocent lives are lost.
US President Trump, who claims to end wars rather than start them, has bombed at least seven countries in one year (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, and Venezuela). Will this be a long war or short; will there be US troops on the ground; will the navy protect oil tankers? President Trump seems to oscillate according to mood.
On the other side, I rejoice at the dismantling of the second most repellent regime on earth (after North Korea). Just look at the joy shown by Iranians in Iran and the diaspora as they celebrate what they hope will be the end of these gangsters in robes. The regime ruthlessly and relentlessly slaughters tens of thousands of its own people, enforces a 7th century theocracy, works to destabilise the Middle East, sponsors terrorism across the planet (including Australia), and is the one nation that would probably use a nuclear bomb if it got one. (It must not!) The Islamic Republic has had only one foreign policy since it was formed in 1979: death to the great Satan (America) and the lesser Satan (Israel).
I would be delighted to see the regime collapse, giving Iran’s great and ancient peoples freedom to flourish. Benefits would go far beyond the nation. Meanwhile, asylum for Iranian soccer players is excellent.
This Thinking Out Loud was first published on Facebook.