The Two-Tiered Damage of the Iran War

Do not let them get away with the war in Iran. The stock market is up, but the war’s consequences cannot be wiped away cleanly with financial success. Politicians have long avoided accountability for any sort of foreign involvement. Trump led all of his voters into believing that he wanted an end to foreign wars and was going to promote peace. While pulling at the heart strings of conservatives, he simultaneously used methods of economic control that were unprecedented in recent years while also bringing the US into unnecessary foreign conflict. It was easy to point out the hypocrisy of the Obama administration as they professed a desire for world peace, while also completing numerous drone strikes against an indiscriminating group of targets in the Middle East. War can be justified, but it must be recognized that the default nature of the American government towards has been one of constant interest and preparation. The people do not want the lack of ability to defend ourselves or a commitment against all wars, but they do want the constant web of unsuccessful foreign entanglements to be thrown off. Whether the war wraps up in the next few weeks or drags on for years, citizens have a responsibility to never forget the ways in which it has and will continue to hurt them. The first layer of costs from the war are obvious: gas prices, loss of life, loss of the United States position of leadership in the world. The second layer of costs, however, are much more nebulous yet far more dangerous. These costs will not be attributed by many to the war, but they are direct results nonetheless. The increase in the government propensity towards war and other methods of domination towards its own people and others has been recalibrated by this conflict. The level of debt or level of taxation will increase to an even more unsustainable level to account for this fast increase in spending and military development spending. The first costs should outrage you, but the second layer should turn that anger into sustained action against government overreach.

Not only does the war signal that Trump and his advisors have an agenda entirely different from the one that elected him, but it shows that they are willing to sacrifice the good of the people for this agenda. Even when public sentiment is strongly against the war, they continue. At the founding of the nation, war was justified in only the most dire circumstances, yet now the bias towards it is undeniable. The massive increase in gas prices was entirely predictable, yet it didn’t stop the US and Israel from launching relatively arbitrary attacks. Iran is nothing more than a despotic regime, and it has done nothing but create tensions in the region. However, neither of those things means that the US bears a responsibility to deal with them. US attacks are only guaranteed to create another generation of people who hate our country with a passion. Whether or not peace arises in the region, it will most definitely not be a result of US military action. Pakistan, Egypt, and others in the region have shown themselves to be more levelheaded and desirous of peace than the US, even as they face a far greater existential threat for Iran. From the way US military officials have approached the war, to Trump’s comment about erasing an entire civilization, it is clear that they perceive this to be a necessary crusade and give no thought to the economic and social instability it  causes to their own people.

The regional powers of the Middle East are putting the US to shame in their pursuit for peace. The US has shown a desire to enter into a bigger war at less provocation than they would have in the past. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan show an awareness of the deeper second level of costs from war. Even while they would benefit more from a powerless Iran more than the US would, they don’t default to war because they understand that their other goals as a nation are not achievable if they enter into a lengthy, tragic, and costly war. Peace is almost always the right answer when dealing with countries across the globe, as anything else overrides individual autonomy with little social benefit. These four countries have, in a way, held onto a subset of western values and stood by them more aggressively than the United States. They desire peace and prosperity, and want to promote positive change in Iran without turning the country to rubble.  These four countries are far from perfect, but their people will benefit from their leadership’s lack of hawkish instinct.

If this war is not strongly opposed by people on the right in general, conservative leadership will become empowered to create outcomes that rival even the most severe leftist control state. The only thing worse than a socialist government is a socialist government that forces you to die for it. Our nation must remain strong and free, and that is only possible with a powerful, and rarely used military. While the country loses respect with the rest of the world as it spends abroad to reduce the welfare of its citizens, the future of the nation slips, and precedent is set for easier entry into wars that are only marginally our business. The United States must be a beacon of light to the world, but it cannot do this when it jeopardizes its own dignity, strength, and the sovereignty of others.