So, here we are again! Yet another conflict which sees a United States President determined to define himself as a peacemaker by making war. Oxymoronic, isn't it? But that is the madness of the current 'American way.'
Oh, and don't worry, there is also madness in the Iranian political turmoil that has inspired this bludgeoning American response. The people of Iran, formerly known as Persia, appear to be at their wits' end with water, food, and energy shortages, rampant inflation, student, and recently more protests.
However, to propose a childhood analogy, "two rights don't make a wrong," and understanding that, the leadership of the primary nations involved must also recognise that this conflict has the potential to take us all back to the dark ages, or even worse.
We may not be comfortable in our current lives, our roles, our jobs, even our relationships, but we aren't going to "throw the baby out with the bath water," throw our hands in the air, turn our backs on it all, and walk away, are we? Iranians opted for a theocracy, a republican structure with electoral elements in 1979, voting by more than 99 per cent to embrace fundamentalism.
Until recently, only the Ayatollah Khomeini, until 1989, and the Ayatollah Khamenei have ruled Iran as its Supreme Leader, although elections have successively thrown up moderate progressives such as Akbar Rafsanjani, Mohammed Khatami, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hassan Rouhani and Ebrahim Raisi, who have all sought social change without significant success.
In fact, human rights violations across the nation have seen thousands perish. How many? These are people not only seeking change, but food, water, electricity and a genuine voice. Surely they don't deserve to perish in a hail of gunfire?
America, on the other hand, is a Western, Christian conservative democracy, and it elected Trump, born wealthy, raised in privilege, with an overwhelming majority in 2016 seeking bolder, more authoritative leadership. Some policies 'flew,' some didn't, and four years later, he was deposed by Joe Biden in response to Trump's wild and erratic pronouncements, exposures concerning his private life, and of failed social development.
Biden was too old, and he made Trump look effective... were these candidates the best the world's strongest nation could offer, and in 2024, he triumphed again, vowing to 'make America great again.' What has America got? In reality, more of the same, with cutbacks, tariffs, Greenland and Venezuela featuring on his 'hit list!' And now this, with Trump announcing to the Iranian populace that help was 'on its way,' and that their "day of freedom is near." Is that what either side wanted to hear?
Air strikes only start wars, think Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour, while more recently, and regionally, Iraq 2003 and Libya 2011, both needed 'boots on the ground,' to force conclusions. Now, with Trump's America beating its drum of peace, alongside Netanyahu's Israel, they have struck, with neither the right nor the mandate, to do what they are doing... and they would have been well aware, at the outset, that people would die... but... not in America.
Worse, the original bombing raid took place while the Iranian leadership was discussing peaceable solutions, according to their Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a diplomat renowned for his integrity. Confusingly, Iran has 'lashed out,' at its neighbours. They realised that their military capabilities only permitted a modest response.
They would have known their response was far from proportional, but more importantly, that they couldn't just 'sit,' and do nothing, and seeking religious forgiveness for those who, of the faith, were harmed, at least permitted a response in the general direction of American military support facilities around the Middle East.
Sun Tzu, that most reverent and articulate of all military and warfare scholars, wrote of the danger posed by cornered rats, and thinking bombs and dead soldiers will wipe out resistance to the American military machine would be a foolish thought process. They shot their own people! Their agenda may not be pleasant, but this is not tiddlywinks!
The entire world needs to rise up now, note the chaos of this situation, the global implications, remind America of the follies of Vietnam, and to remind Trump he is a President... not Homer Simpson.
Ray Petersen
The writer is a media consultant
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
