Brief Remarks on the US-Iran War

(I seem to be laying out a foreign policy position. May the ghost of George F Kennan guide me.)

• I continue to advocate ending petroleum dependency and researching drone countermeasures.

• The Iranian government routinely commits crimes against humanity and as a global power is also likely to attempt to extend its reach, indeed is already doing so in the Persian Gulf. I do not think the countries is within its reach will appreciate this. It is not racist to object to the emergence of a dictatorial theocracy as a world power. The world is going to find Iranian hegemony over, at least, the Persian Gulf, and possibly the entire Arabian peninsula, difficult to bear; Iran as a world power promises to be monstrous. The new government of Iran is extreme even for fundamentalist Islam, and they are not going to be pacifists or leave the rest of the world alone. Are we prepared to abandon that region to the tender mercies of the mullahs? That would be an abdication of historic proportions. Are we prepared for what would fill the power void afterwards?

• Trump’s invasion of Venezuela is the precedent for Iranian control of the Persian Gulf. If the United States can do it, why can’t Iran?

• We’re worrying about domestic politics, and the geopolitical situation is such a mess. The self-absorption of Congress is a foolish thing. I see no signs that most of our political leaders recognize that foreign policy is now important.