Iranian Missiles (NY Times)
On Saturday, the world learned that the United States and Israel had begun attacking Iran. The targets included the country’s leadership, missile sites, and nuclear operations. Iran retaliated with attacks on US military positions, Israel, and US allies in the Middle East. Most of the top Iranian officials have been killed.
The president said that Iran posed an immediate threat to the United States. According to the president, these attacks will continue until all resistance to a regime change has been eliminated. He also conceded that some Americans would be killed.
I would recommend that you read an excellent summary of Iran’s nuclear program on Wikipedia (Nuclear program of Iran – Wikipedia) and a CBS program (How advanced is Iran’s nuclear program? Here’s what we know as U.S. and Israel launch strikes. – CBS News).
As Americans we need to ask our government about its international diplomacy.
- How have tariffs strengthened our trade position?
- Have tariffs helped or hurt the average American household?
- Should the United States actively attempt to change government in foreign countries like Venezuela and Iran by kidnapping and assassination?
- Should the US try to annex Greenland? Canada? Mexico?
- Drugs are now being sent to the US by drones and subsea vessels. Does destroying drug shipments impact drug consumption in the US?
- Should the operation against Iran have included European nations (i.e. NATO)?
- Should the US aggressively remove “bad actors” in control of foreign countries like Russia, China, and North Korea?
- Which country’s nuclear program is more dangerous North Korea’s (5,200 miles to US) or Iran’s (6,300 miles to Washington, DC)?
- Based on the events of the past few days, do you feel safer? Is the world safer?
I don’t pretend to know the “correct” answers to any of these questions, but I do think they deserve an answer.
Allen Mesch 