Why U.S. Victory in Iran Would Be Bad for Washington—and the World |
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The current situation in the United States, like that of the United States in the world, is by no means normal. This should summon the American public and world opinion to take what may seem to be an unusual, even uncomfortable, position: Under the disturbing present circumstances, one should simply not wish for a U.S. victory in the country’s 3-week-old war against Iran.
So that there is no moral confusion about this statement, I must make explicit what I am not calling for: I do not wish for the death or injury of U.S. soldiers. Nor do I wish for the destruction of the state of Israel, whose right to security I have supported in column after column.
The current situation in the United States, like that of the United States in the world, is by no means normal. This should summon the American public and world opinion to take what may seem to be an unusual, even uncomfortable, position: Under the disturbing present circumstances, one should simply not wish for a U.S. victory in the country’s 3-week-old war against Iran.
So that there is no moral confusion about this statement, I must make explicit what I am not calling for: I do not wish for the death or injury of U.S. soldiers. Nor do I wish for the destruction of the state of Israel, whose right to security I have supported in column after column.
With these provisos, though, I have come to the conclusion that an outright U.S. victory over Iran would be more dangerous for the United States, Israel, and the entire world than an end to this senseless war by some other means—even if that means resorting to the classic, face-saving tactic of declaring victory and “going home” in the absence of any clear-cut political, military, or strategic triumph over the remnants of the Iranian government.
First, let’s acknowledge the obvious. U.S. President Donald Trump himself has never given a remotely coherent vision of what a victory in Iran........