Beware the Tides of War with Iran

Jeffrey Phillips, Daniel R. DePetris

Security, Middle East

This is how President Donald Trump's national security advisors could push the country into a foolhardy war with Iran.

Most wars begin with the swirling tides of “war talk,” as war advocates seek to inure the public to the notion that an armed conflict is possible, desirable, and justifiable—if not inevitable.

America is in the throes of it right now. Those in Washington who have devoted their careers to pushing regime change in Tehran whatever the cost are exerting their influence and demonstrating considerable savvy to “normalize” the idea. The American people are being told that because Iran is an inherently hostile and destabilizing menace, war with Iran is a reasonable course of action.

Is it reasonable, however, to launch a “preventive” war with a country like Iran when the United States has other policy options at its disposal? As important, is it reasonable for a nation that has sacrificed so much money, lives, and resources in the Middle East for close to a generation to start another war—particularly given the recent track record of American military intervention?

U.S. presidents since Harry Truman have shown how destructive and irresponsible the decision to go to war can be when it’s made unilaterally. Plunging the nation into war without the full, open, and honest national debate the Constitution mandates, is not only a violation of what the founders prescribed but a reckless choice that usually produces unforeseen outcomes. Too many presidents have considered themselves wiser than the constitutional structure the founders created. And each, arguably, has felt the consequences.

The president will cite his Article II powers to defend and protect the American people from threats foreign and domestic as more than enough before engaging in a warlike action. Congress over the years has too frequently accepted this interpretation with barely a question asked. Too many lawmakers have bought into the notion that they are back-up players to the president’s star power. Others have chosen to duck and weave from a serious debate for political expediency; why, after all, vote on the most serious question a nation can ever make when you can stay in the background and opine from the sidelines?

America’s founding generation would be rolling in their graves. After all, the Constitution grants the Congress with the power to declare war—not the president.