Photo by Erfan Kouchari/Tasnim News Agency via AP

Voices & Opinion

POV: The Death of Qasem Soleimani Represents a Dangerous Use of Military Power

Our problems with Iran will not be solved with additional military action

Earlier this month, President Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Major General Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. And while I’ve shed no tears over Soleimani’s death—he is the mastermind of many heinous acts and has the blood of America on his hands—I’ve questioned whether killing him just because we could was the right thing to do and whether his death will bring Iran back to the negotiating table.

The justification the president used was the magical term “imminent threat”—translation: we must act now to save American lives. But that initial justification has morphed, as so many of Trump’s stories do. I find the term “imminent” suspect as this is the same person who has vilified the intelligence community time and again. So, not being privy to the intelligence reports that drove this decision, I want to focus on how we can move forward from this action and realize that the best option may not be the military one. 

The United States military has been conducting operations in the Middle East continually for over 29 years—longer than most Boston University students have been alive. As a military veteran, I have the utmost respect—call it deep awe—for all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen, intelligence professionals, and all those who have deployed in service to their country. However, the use of military force should be the last instrument of America’s power that we use, not the first. We need to remember that all our service members are America’s sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. As we’re on the precipice of perhaps another war in the Middle East, I wonder if those who readily advocate for the use of military force and denigrate those who don’t support them would make the same decision if they had ‘personal equity’ in that decision. Being patriotic isn’t sending your neighbor’s children off to war and waving the American flag, but sending your own flesh and blood to the same fate.

So, what is this preoccupation with Iran? We got to this place because President Trump viewed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) (Iran nuclear deal) as the worst deal ever negotiated. Why? Because he didn’t negotiate it. While the deal wasn’t perfect, it was working and preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. I’m not naïve. Iran is a maligning interest in the Middle East and a supporter of terrorism throughout the region, but backing away from JCPOA was a mistake. Instead, we added crippling sanctions hoping that would break Iran and bring them back to the negotiating table. Fast-forward from that decision and we watched mass protests in Iran against the government. Then we kill their national hero, albeit a terrorist, and those protests immediately morph into protests against the United States. To some, the killing was a bold brilliant stroke—but how will the death of Soleimani bring peace to the region and force the Iranians to give up their nuclear program?

Instead of lamenting on the past and thinking the Trump administration will change course, we need to develop a coherent strategy to bring stability to the region. Moreover, we need to elevate American foreign policy decisions from emotional tweets (sometimes referencing violations of the Geneva Convention) to a strategy that sparingly uses the military instrument of power only after all other means have been exhausted.  

Our problems with Iran will not be solved with additional military action. Instead we need to tackle the foundational problems that the Trump administration has created. As a nation, we are stronger when we work with our allies and partners rather than berating them and cozying up to autocrats and dictators. America First has translated to America Alone, and without our allies America is weaker. This president’s loathing of America’s closest allies isn’t making us safer. Conducting unilateral strikes makes perfect sense when there truly is an imminent threat, but in this administration, truth is the missing element. Assassinating a few people will not end the violence nor create the environment for a peaceful and stable Middle East.

Our Founding Fathers gave us a unique form of democracy with separate but coequal branches of government. Our system only works when each branch accepts the responsibility outlined in the Constitution. Each member of Congress took an oath to the Constitution, not to a political party or person. Commencing combat operations against Iran must be debated and approved by the members of Congress. Anything less is an abrogation of their Constitutional responsibilities.

Trump would do well to realize that diversity of thought helps a president make better decisions. The established National Security Apparatus used extensively by previous administrations allows the president to receive inputs directly from key cabinet members. By hearing and discussing differences of opinions, the president can better understand the operational and strategic ramifications of their actions. Being intelligent is not believing you have all the answers, but creating an environment where freedom of thought is not only encouraged but applauded. 

The National Security Strategy and the National Defense Strategy, both rewritten by the current administration, clearly outline the threats facing this nation. While we are occupied elsewhere in the world, we give China and Russia carte blanche to wreak havoc on America and on the international community. The US has the strongest military in the world—true leadership is knowing when to use it and when not to. A lesson for anyone contemplating the use of military force.