I hate war, I hate it with a passion. Every single, solitary war in human history has had its roots in some evil and wickedness of depraved human beings. That is an absolute; no sin, no wars.
Yet, as much as I hate war, I know that sometimes it is necessary to prevent greater harm from occurring. Napoleon, the Kaiser, Hitler, Tojo, and countless other examples that could be given—these people had to be stopped, or the consequences would have been disastrous for countless innocent human beings. The wars to stop them were bad enough; not having those wars would have been worse. I know that war is sometimes necessary because God used it in the Old Testament to accomplish some of His purposes, and perhaps He still does. So, as horrible as war is, occasionally it is required to prevent more substantial evils, God being my witness.
I support what President Trump is doing in Iran, though I certainly wish it didn't have to be done and that America could mind its own business and take care of its own myriad problems. But the spread of nuclear weapons to nations with leaders like Iran's simply cannot be allowed. I wish nobody had nuclear weapons; their very existence is a testimony to the fact that war is always possible, and is a constant Damocles' sword hanging over the heads of humanity.
So, whatever other rationales there might be for the conflict in Iran, thwarting the insane leaders of that nation from getting their hands on nuclear weapons is a noble cause.
Unfortunately, some evil leaders do have nuclear weapons. Except for perhaps the American Democratic Party, there is no institution on this earth more evil than the Chinese Communist Party, though the Iranian mullahs run them both a good race. Xi Jinping is evil, period. But he's not crazy. He might, in desperate circumstances, use nuclear weapons. I don't think, however, he is going to do so in "normal," realpolitik situations. At least I hope not.
But the Iranian ayatollahs are not only evil, but they are also crazy. They do not think rationally, they have a warped view of the entire concept of realpolitik, and the world simply can't allow crazy people to possess nuclear weapons. It's bad enough when evil people have control of them; it's intolerable if those evil people are also totally irrational. Iran, in its current governmental configuration, and until it proves itself worthy of the world's trust and confidence, cannot be permitted to have such weapons of mass destruction. The world will never be safe if they get them. Frankly, I hope they never do, there are enough—too many—"nuclear" nations on earth as it is.
So, yes, I support Mr. Trump's current efforts in Iran. And I hope it accomplishes its immediate purpose of bringing some semblance of sanity to a region of the world that has never had any. But this current conflict isn't going to solve the problems in the Middle East – not in the long term. It may put a Band-Aid on the present wound, but it will take much more than that to bring civilization, true lasting peace, order, and prosperity to the region. The cancer there is too deep and too long-standing. And the hate is probably incurable.
The Arabs simply hate the Jews, and the Jews aren't especially fond of Arabs, either. This animosity goes back thousands of years into the very roots of who these people are. Both claim to be the descendants of Abraham, the Arabs from Abraham's son Ishmael (by his wife Sarah's handmaid, Hagar), the Jews from Abraham's son (by Sarah), Isaac. Both claim their "forefather" son is the legitimate one. The Jews say that God gave Abraham's posterity the land of Canaan (eventually Israel) in perpetuity, for as long as this earth lasts. So, to the Jews, that land is theirs—forever—and anybody else living on it, e.g., Palestinians, are usurpers. God gave the Jews that land. It's theirs.
However, the Arabs disagree. The Jews were largely run off that land by the Romans in 70 A.D., and the Arab-Palestinian people have been living on it ever since. So, not only is Ishmael, to the Arabs, the legitimate offspring of Abraham (the right of primogeniture), but when the Jews came in the 1940s, they "stole" land that Arab/Muslims had been living on for 2,000 years. Thus, the two peoples stare daggers at each other and fight whenever they feel like it. Neither side will ever gain total victory, and will never totally surrender. It's in their history—and, more importantly, in their religion.
America, of course (except for the current American radical Left with its stupid "stolen land" idiocy), has, since 1948 (the creation of modern Israel), been largely a strong supporter of Israel. Israel says "frog," and America has jumped. Mr. Trump supports Israel (obviously), as have most American leaders since 1948. And, as a result, the Arabs/Muslims, a people with whom we had no animosity 125 years ago, hate America's guts every bit as much as they hate Israel.
Who is right and who is wrong is not the purpose of this article (frankly, I think both sides are wrong, but that's neither here nor there). My point is, the current conflict in Iran is, I believe, necessary for various reasons. But it won't solve the long-term, long-standing issue between Jew and Arab. We may get a temporary reprieve. But that's all it will be—temporary.
God's people can pray that He, in His incomprehensible, inscrutable, mysterious ways, will finally bring peace, order, and civilization to a region of the world that has rarely ever seen any of that. Those who aren't God's people can…can hope self-centered, short-sighted, infinitely fallible politicians can do it. Given those two options, if God doesn't do it, I supremely doubt it will ever be done.
My substacks are a little unique. Not just current events, but history, our Founding Fathers, what America was meant to be, and Biblical exegesis. Check them out. "Mark It Down! (mklewis929.substack.com), and "Mark It Down! Bible Substack" (mklbibless.substack.com). Both free. Follow me on X: @thailandmkl. Read my western novels, "Whitewater," "River Bend," "Return to River Bend," and "Allie's Dilemma," all available on Amazon.