The State Journal-Register
As a combat veteran, my world view was profoundly impacted by my deployment to Iraq.
While the United States rid the world of a brutal dictator, the tremendous costs of the war — thousands of American lives lost, more than 10 times as many wounded and a cost estimated at $1 trillion — are stark reminders of the dangers of launching an unnecessary war as a result of shortsighted foreign policy.
As Iraq descends further into chaos, the world’s attention has shifted to Iraq’s neighbor Iran, as the United States and its partners sought to prevent another unnecessary war in the Middle East.
Iran, a country that has vowed to blow Israel off the map and provided weapons to the United States’ enemies during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is getting alarmingly close to developing a nuclear weapon. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates described the Iranian situation as “the most significant national security problem this country has faced in the last 50 years.”
Last year, the United States forced Iran to the negotiating table after the successful use of diplomacy and aggressive economic sanctions. Both sides reached a preliminary agreement for Iran to effectively freeze its nuclear program in exchange for the West gradually reducing sanctions.
While diplomats in Vienna recently were unable to reach a long-term deal, negotiations were extended until November, preserving the hope for a diplomatic solution.
The costs of failing to reach a deal are immense. A nuclear Iran represents a clear and present danger to America and its allies. If a nuclear Iran was imminent, the Obama administration would be under tremendous pressure to conduct military strikes — strikes that largely would be ineffectual without the presence of ground troops to fully eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.
Critics who oppose an agreement argue that Iran cannot be trusted to keep its promises, insisting it will continue to pursue a nuclear weapon in secret.
While a history of provocative actions and defiance of the international community make one weary of trusting Iran’s sincerity, critics routinely ignore that any deal would include verification of compliance. Without a deal, we are blind to everything Iran does; with a deal, its power plants and research facilities are under a microscope of cameras and inspectors.
Still, those focused on vilifying President Barack Obama are sure to insist that negotiating with Iran shows more weakness from an administration that has “emboldened our enemies.” This is simply not true. Dick Cheney’s foreign policy got us into the war with Iraq, and it will get us into a war with Iran just as quickly.
By isolating Iran from the world and forcing it to the negotiating table, our goal of an Iran without a nuclear weapons program is within reach.
Achieving a deal with Iran will not be easy, but it is essential. Iran has seen how the United States handles a nuclear North Korea with kid gloves while brashly invading a non-nuclear Iraq. It will not easily be dissuaded from its nuclear ambitions.
The choice Americans face is another long and costly war in the Middle East or a diplomatic resolution.
The Bush administration’s go-it-alone, diplomacy-be-damned approach to foreign politics does not work, and the military bore the brunt of the costs of this shortsighted policy.
We have an opportunity to learn from the past decade’s mistakes and give diplomacy a chance. Failure to do so will have dire consequences for our military, our country and the international community.
War should be an option of last resort, not the offspring of a faulty worldview.
Derrik Gay is a former intelligence officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and a student at Northwestern University. He is a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council. He lives in Evanston.
US Israel Iran War
As a combat veteran, my world view was profoundly impacted by my deployment to Iraq.
While the United States rid the world of a brutal dictator, the tremendous costs of the war — thousands of American lives lost, more than 10 times as many wounded and a cost estimated at $1 trillion — are stark reminders of the dangers of launching an unnecessary war as a result of shortsighted foreign policy.
As Iraq descends further into chaos, the world’s attention has shifted to Iraq’s neighbor Iran, as the United States and its partners sought to prevent another unnecessary war in the Middle East.
Iran, a country that has vowed to blow Israel off the map and provided weapons to the United States’ enemies during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, is getting alarmingly close to developing a nuclear weapon. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates described the Iranian situation as “the most significant national security problem this country has faced in the last 50 years.”
Last year, the United States forced Iran to the negotiating table after the successful use of diplomacy and aggressive economic sanctions. Both sides reached a preliminary agreement for Iran to effectively freeze its nuclear program in exchange for the West gradually reducing sanctions.
While diplomats in Vienna recently were unable to reach a long-term deal, negotiations were extended until November, preserving the hope for a diplomatic solution.
The costs of failing to reach a deal are immense. A nuclear Iran represents a clear and present danger to America and its allies. If a nuclear Iran was imminent, the Obama administration would be under tremendous pressure to conduct military strikes — strikes that largely would be ineffectual without the presence of ground troops to fully eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.
Critics who oppose an agreement argue that Iran cannot be trusted to keep its promises, insisting it will continue to pursue a nuclear weapon in secret.
While a history of provocative actions and defiance of the international community make one weary of trusting Iran’s sincerity, critics routinely ignore that any deal would include verification of compliance. Without a deal, we are blind to everything Iran does; with a deal, its power plants and research facilities are under a microscope of cameras and inspectors.
Still, those focused on vilifying President Barack Obama are sure to insist that negotiating with Iran shows more weakness from an administration that has “emboldened our enemies.” This is simply not true. Dick Cheney’s foreign policy got us into the war with Iraq, and it will get us into a war with Iran just as quickly.
By isolating Iran from the world and forcing it to the negotiating table, our goal of an Iran without a nuclear weapons program is within reach.
Achieving a deal with Iran will not be easy, but it is essential. Iran has seen how the United States handles a nuclear North Korea with kid gloves while brashly invading a non-nuclear Iraq. It will not easily be dissuaded from its nuclear ambitions.
The choice Americans face is another long and costly war in the Middle East or a diplomatic resolution.
The Bush administration’s go-it-alone, diplomacy-be-damned approach to foreign politics does not work, and the military bore the brunt of the costs of this shortsighted policy.
We have an opportunity to learn from the past decade’s mistakes and give diplomacy a chance. Failure to do so will have dire consequences for our military, our country and the international community.
War should be an option of last resort, not the offspring of a faulty worldview.
Derrik Gay is a former intelligence officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and a student at Northwestern University. He is a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council. He lives in Evanston.
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