The Liberal View
Extrajudicial Killing
In the aftermath of the killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, many US journalists and political pundits claimed that America’s assassination of Soleimani was equivalent to Iran killing the US Secretary of State. I believe that this is an oversimplification of Soleimani’s position within the Iranian government. As the head of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he occupied a position that has no equivalent in the American political system. Although Soleimani undoubtedly killed innocents, and his death was celebrated by many across the Middle East, his assassination was an extrajudicial killing by the US Armed Forces.
According to the UN, extrajudicial killings are rarely legal unless countries are engaged in active hostilities. By ordering this action, the US violated international laws of human rights. Furthermore, the strike that killed Soleimani, as well as 6 others, was conducted without Congressional authorization. In the aftermath of the strike, leaders on both sides of the aisle, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, urged the Trump administration to brief them immediately. As representatives of the American people, I think our Congressional leaders should have been briefed about this strike. Congress is now taking steps to limit the Trump administration’s actions in Iran. A set of bills intended to block funding for military operations in Iran was approved by the House on January 9. The White House has already threatened to veto this resolution.
War-Weariness
The American public is war-weary. Generation Z has already lived through the post-9/11 War on Terror in Afghanistan, which is a war we have yet to conclude. Young men and women who weren’t even alive when 9/11 occured can now enlist to fight in Afghanistan. The strike on Iran also reminded many of the Iraq War, which started in 2003 and did not end until 2011. The US retains a strong military presence in Iraq to this day, and the strike that killed Soleimani was conducted in Baghdad.
While Americans did support the killing of Soleimani, we remain staunchly anti-war with Iran, and we have been for some time. A poll conducted in September 2019, after Iran was accused of attacking a prominent Saudi oil field, showed that 59% of self-identified Republicans opposed war, in addition to 89% of Democrats and 78% of Independents. Starting last year, Iran has begun to openly disregard the rules of the 2015 Iran Deal, which sought to limit Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. Fears of Iran developing nuclear weapons reminded many Americans of the (eventually unwarranted) fear that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2003. I believe very few Americans want our country to embroil itself in another endless war.
Media Coverage of the Conflict
The traditional American media made several missteps in their coverage of the Soleimani killing, the subsequent protests, the Iranian counterstrike on a US base in Iraq, and the accidental Iranian attack on a Ukranian commercial aircraft. First, I believe the media attempted to explain the feelings of the Iranian people without speaking to any sources in Iran. Some articles and news reports emphasized the hundreds of Iranians who gathered in the streets for Soleimani’s funeral and burned flags with images of President Trump. Some chose to emphasize Iranians who disagreed with Soleimani’s policies and did not mourn him. The mood was difficult to discern. After all, Iranians had at first rallied behind their government and Supreme Leader after Soleimani’s killing, but many turned out to protest against the government after the military shot down a Ukranian passenger plane, killing everyone on board. I also think that the media covered the Soleimani assassination as though it occurred in a vacuum, when US-Iran relations have never been friendly.
Tensions began to rise after the US withdrew from the 2015 Deal- the withdrawal was one of President Trump’s first acts of office and continued to rise after the attack on the Saudi oil field and the Trump administration designated the IRGC as a terrorist group. Indeed, tensions could be traced back to the 1950s, when the US orchestrated a coup that replaced the democratically elected leader of Iran with Shah Reza Pahlavi. These tensions will not disappear anytime soon, and the killing of Qasem Soleimani has started a new chapter of violence between the US and Iran.
The Conservative View
Media Coverage: Dominating American Airwaves
Over the past few weeks, the mainstream media within the United States has made it seem as if war with Iran is imminent. Major news networks have been showing videos of Iranians shouting “Death to America” as if these chants have never happened before. What the press has failed to mention is that the United States has been at war with Iran for decades through proxies. There is a long history between Tehran and Washington D.C., but to the average viewer, it could seem as if this history is completely bypassed due to the slanted views the media presents.
Background Information
Active confrontation with Iran first began in 1953 when the United States helped to overthrow Mohammad Mosaddegh, whose policies were detrimental to Iran. In 1979, tension continued when the United States government helped aid Mohammad Reza Shah. In response to the United States’ aid, Iran attacked the United States embassy in Tehran and held 52 American hostages for 444 days. After the 1979 Revolution, the Iranian government was replaced with a radical regime. Ever since these actions occurred, the United States and Iran have been at odds.
In recent decades, the United States has continued to back its ally Israel against the Iranian regime as well as denying Iran nuclear powers, which could be used to destabilize the Middle East. The United States and Iran are also fighting in a proxy war in Syria. In the past few months, however, Iran has seized British and American oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and most recently, in December 2019, Iran attacked U.S. military bases in Iraq and most notably the United States Embassy in Baghdad. Due to these actions from the Iranian regime, President Donald Trump carried out a drone strike that killed the commander of the Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, on January 3.
While it is understandable that this strike seems unprecedented and somewhat scary, it was necessary. Soleimani coordinated the attack on our embassy in Baghdad, which is equal to an attack on United States soil. Due to this threat, President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani.
What Happened After the Drone Strike?
Between January 3 and January 7, Iranians flooded the streets to protest the United States. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians were seen praising Soleimani and burning the flags of Israel and the United States. The American mainstream media twisted the story in Iran to make it seem as if the entire country of Iran was behind the Iranian regime due to President Trump’s attack. As you will later learn, that narrative that was pushed upon the American people was false.
On January 8, in retaliation to the drone strike, Iran launched roughly a dozen ballistic missiles into Iraq that targeted two American army bases. The Iranian State T.V. claimed that 80 Americans had been killed, and the mainstream media claimed that 30 U.S. servicemen had died due to the strike. The Pentagon has now reported that 34 U.S. troops were injured with concussions, and half have already returned to their stations, but thankfully no one was killed. It is despicable for the United States media to relay claims from an authoritarian state instead of waiting for the Pentagon to release any reports of the damage.
Hours after the strikes, Iran “accidentally” shot down a civilian Ukranian airliner. Due to this tragedy and the deaths of 176 passengers and crew members, Iranians took to the streets to protest their authoritarian government. Videos taken in the heavily censored Iranian airwaves reached a select few United States news stations, meaning networks that were willing to show the truth instead of pushing a false narrative. Major news networks failed to show videos of Iranian students refusing to walk on painted United States and Israeli flags in the streets. Instead, certain networks told their viewers that President Trump was to blame for the accident.
Even now, major news stations continue to paint Qasem Soleimani as a victim of President Trump’s aggression instead of calling him what he truly is: a terrorist. The mainstream media should not, by any means, be praising or trying to undermine the fact that Qasem Soleimani is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers.
What Happens Now?
On January 9, the United States House of Representatives voted to restrict President Trump’s war powers regarding Iran with a vote count of 224-194. In the Senate, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), has reported that he has the votes to pass a slightly different war powers resolution, but with the Senate focused on impeachment, it could be a few weeks until the vote reaches the Senate floor. Even if the Senate passes the resolution, President Trump will veto the bill, and it is unclear whether or not there is a two-thirds majority to override the veto.
After weeks of tension in the Middle East, it seems that almost everything has returned to normal. Iran will continue to chant “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” and the United States will continue to be vigilant, but President Trump has announced plans to set forth a peace plan for the Middle East. On January 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival Benny Gantz are scheduled to meet separately with President Trump to discuss the plan. Even with these new signs of peace, it is impossible to predict what will occur in the near future.
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