The United States (and the world at-large) likely just dodged a massive bullet. In a miniature Cuban Missile Crisis, it seemed as though the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States would soon be engaged in a shooting war following the latter’s drone strike against Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.
Though Iran is no Soviet Union circa 1962, the prospect of another conflict in the Middle East seems unconscionable to an American public long accustomed to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. In an ABC News/Ipsos poll, published on Jan. 12, 73 percent of respondents reported being either “somewhat concerned” or “very concerned” about the prospect of a coming “full-scale war” with Iran.
As a draft-age male, I was especially concerned. I’ll admit, it’s a selfish concern. The idea of potentially getting turned into human confetti — for a concept as abstract as Iran’s philosophical and geopolitical differences with the United States — is not exactly attractive to me.
Being told I’d be “liberating” the people of Iran also seems questionable to me, looking at how well our “liberation” has served the people of Iraq — they’ve enjoyed their newfound freedom so much that they're using democracy to boot us out of their country.
I apparently was not alone in my concern about being shipped off to Iran. So many people visited the Selective Service System (America’s draft authority) website in the hours following the Jan. 3 drone strike that it crashed. “#WWIII” and “#WorldWarThreeDraft” trended on Twitter around the same time.
This is in no way a defense of Soleimani or the regime he was a part of. General Qassem Soleimani was no angel, nor was he a victim of so-called “American adventurism.” The force he led has been directly involved in supporting the terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas, and forces under his command have been linked to the deaths of anywhere from 196 to more than 500 American troops in Iraq.
The Islamic Republic he served is a despotic, theocratic regime whose human rights record can be best described as “imperfect.” Freedom of speech, assembly and press are unheard of there. When people do organize and fight against the regime, they aren’t hit with tear gas or detained, they are shot at with live ammunition.
Regardless, war with Iran wouldn’t be optimal. A mountainous, geographically and ethnically fractured nation, Iran is like Afghanistan on steroids and fighting there would likely be similarly difficult.
If you happen to support a war in Iran, fine. Advocate for it. Do what you like. But before you drag me and many other young men to our early graves, go enlist in the military yourself. The Armed Forces offer fantastic benefits, and you will get to see the world.
