There are two critical questions around any belligerent action:
1) Is it right and good?
2) Is it in our best interest?
Regarding Soleimani, having a strong opinion on 1) does not obviate the need for an answer on 2). And right now, no one with any wisdom has one. 1/5
1) Is it right and good?
2) Is it in our best interest?
Regarding Soleimani, having a strong opinion on 1) does not obviate the need for an answer on 2). And right now, no one with any wisdom has one. 1/5
If you think taking out bad guys is it’s own justification, you need to reflect on the chaos that followed our destruction of Hussein and Qaddafi, neither of whom commanded nation-states when they died. 2/5
And, while I haven’t issued this reminder since President Trump called off the raid on Iran, the Constitution vests Congress, and only Congress, with the decision to go to war. 3/5
This is a moment to reflect on how to think about and communicate with our elected leaders. If they are playing to emotion, speaking with uninformed certainty and cheerleading, they are not up to this moment in history. 4/5
Since such a small percentage of us have served and because we’ve debt-funded our wars, most of us never feel their effects. But the stakes are huge in terms of blood, treasure and history. 5/5
