The United States of America has a long list of wars in Asia and the Middle East within the last 100 years. The Korean War, the Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War are just some of the wars the United States has been actively involved in. Not to mention their support of Ukraine with non-personnel military assistance. The United States has always pushed for democracies everywhere, which is the cause of many of these wars.
The United States Constitution calls for certain freedoms: the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the freedom to assemble peacefully. In the U.S. and many other countries around the world, these freedoms are essential to the country’s culture. The U.S. Constitution is centered around these freedoms. Millions of people around the world have died protecting these freedoms, which are core to their ideological identity. Is the United States responsible for freedom everywhere?
In Iran and several other countries, the freedom of speech is being infringed upon, especially that of people who protest the government. Just recently, former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (who was killed in the recent U.S. attacks) and his security forces cracked down on a group of protesters leading to deaths and numerous cases of abuse. But what does bombing Iran do?
Many military installations were hit during continued U.S. attacks. Throughout the capital city of Tehran, thousands of family homes were hit, as were restaurants, schools, and stores.
Because of these attacks, a surge of immigrants have fled Iran, looking for a safe place. As of right now, there is significant uncertainty as to who the head of the Iranian government is. The son of the former Ayatollah is the recognized leader. It has been days since his last confirmed public appearance. Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump has posted on social media about positive talks with Iran, but it is unclear what the definition of positive is.
What is a success for these talks from the perspective of President Trump? In exchange for all of these deaths, Iran allows citizens to talk negatively about the government in small groups? A large success in Iran would be complete freedom for the Iranians, but that isn’t plausible in negotiations.
If those who are high up in the regime are hidden in bunkers during strikes, then all of the strikes will hit homes, schools, and families.
The freedom of speech, the freedom to worship, and the freedom to protest are not luxuries, and everyone around the world deserves them. The problem in Iran isn’t a problem of a leader – it is a problem of power-hungry leaders. Lots of people want power, including the Ayatollah, his allies, and the U.S. military. Iran would be a fantastic place for an ally of the U.S. When people are scared of speaking out against a leader, the leader continues to have power.
