The Aftermath of General Soleimani’s Martyrdom

By: Ralitsa Trifonova & Marian Karagyozov

Friday, January 3, 2020, Iran’s Major General Qasem Soleimani was assassinated near Baghdad’s international airport by weapons launched by US drones. General Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force, is known for masterminding the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He was feared by all Islamist terrorist groups, not just ISIS but also al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and others.

Without offering any evidence, the (former) US President, Donald Trump, said that he ordered the attack to prevent plots to endanger the US troops and officials. “It was a stunningly stupid and counterproductive move on the part of the United States,” said Barbara Slavin, director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, a think tank, on CBS (January 4, 2010). “And we are going to pay the price of this for years to come and it makes it untenable for American forces to stay in Iraq”, she added.

“We are waking up in a more dangerous world”, said Amelie de Montchalin, France’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, on RTL radio. China expressed high concerns and Russia condemned the assassination and warned that “retaliatory strikes will certainly follow”.

“Trump promised to end endless wars”, said the US Senator, Bernie Sanders, “but this action puts us on the path to another one.” Other US Senators fear an escalation of hostility due to the US action. “I do not see any avenue or any way that talks could begin again,” said the US Senator Rand Paul “And I have been one in favor of talks. But I think, unfortunately, diplomacy is dead now in the Middle East with Iran.”

After 10 years of negotiation, the 2015 nuclear accord was reached between Iran and the P5+1 (the US, the UK, Russia, France, and China - plus Germany), known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA). In 2018, the former US President, Trump, unilaterally withdrew from it against the advice of his Secretary of State, his Secretary of Defense, and the European allies. He began economic sanctions to dry out the Iranian exports and force Iranians into a new negotiation. To the Iranians, his actions were an economic war against the nation. So, the tension escalated and led to shooting down one another’s drones in the Persian Gulf.

Now, the tension between Iran and the US has peaked with the US assassinating Iran’s top general in Iraq without the US getting clearance for the fly over Iraq and discussing the assassination plans with Iraq’s officials. Trump did not even consult his plans with his top officials or the US Congress. He reportedly consulted with Israel, the archenemy of Iran. “Donald Trump started this cycle of escalation,” Slavin said. “If there is a war, it is Donald Trump’s war.”

Terrorism in any form or shape, by individuals or states, is morally wrong and against international law. Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said the men martyred were “major symbols in achieving victory against ISIS and other Islamist terrorist groups”. He called the US attack that killed General Soleimani and Iraqi Military Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an “aggression against Iraq.” Unfortunately, the UN Security Council is impotent in this case for the US would veto any decisions condemning the US aggression.

Historically, the US involvement in the Middle East has been disastrous for the people in the region. The penetration of the US, accompanied by the British and the Russians, into Iran in 1941, resulted in the starvation of thousands of Iranians. The US also masterminded the 1953 coup against the first-ever democratically elected government in Iran - to install back the Shah - causing the deaths and tortures of thousands of Iranians.

Furthermore, bringing the deposed Shah into the US in 1979 made Iranians feel that another US coup was underway and triggered the move to take over the US Embassy. The US supported Saddam’s war against Iran. It provided Saddam’s forces with the element for chemical weapons and offered intelligence to Saddam’s forces. The use of chemicals on the Iranians was a clear violation of international law. For the last 40 years, the US has used every means to depose the Islamic government of Iran. As a sovereign state, it is surprising how cleverly Iran has exerted its independence in the face of continuous US threats.

As for the Arabs, the US has continuously worked against them. It has supported the brutal Saudi regime since 1945 that keeps secret trials, regularly beheads in public, commits crimes against humanity, and is responsible for the growth of the Wahhabi sect that has been terrorizing the world through Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Al-Nusra, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups. The US has collaborated with the Saudis in bombarding the poor people of Yemen, producing the “worst humanitarian crisis”.

Against the Arab interests, the US was the first state that recognized Israel and has been supporting it ever since with billions of dollars in arms that has made Israel the most aggressive and oppressive regime in the region. Israel has invaded neighboring Lebanon three times, attacked Gaza repeatedly, and kept the Palestinians oppressed. In some of its strikes against Gaza, the UN evidence suggests it may have committed crimes against humanity. With so much aid from the US, Israel has little incentive to stop the bloodshed, negotiate with the oppressed Palestinians, and pursue peace with its Arab neighbors.

The assassination of General Soleimani appeared satisfying to Donald Trump’s insatiable ego, trying to distract the attention from his impeachment. To keep some respect, it is time for the US to take its forces and calmly exit the region. Otherwise, to the surprise of the US government and the neoconservatives, the assassination will mark the end of the US influence in the region, and perhaps the world.

There is no justification for violence. There is neither peace in war nor war in peace. Although we cannot change history, we can learn lessons and be willing to begin to understand one another. Sometimes, we must agree to disagree, but at least be willing to hear other perspectives of a situation. Power, greed, and control are behind all our mishaps. From a historical perspective, what made, but also broke every empire.

“Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding,” said Albert Einstein. If we truly want peace, we must lead by example. We must act responsibly, stand for freedom, true democracy where all can have a voice, and promote global peace. These deplorable US examples of invading, attacking, and terrorizing other countries are leading the world and any prospects of peace into annihilation.

Source: Political Reflection Magazine