“A leader who doesn’t hesitate before he sends his nation into battle is not fit to be a leader.”
– Golda Meir Former Prime Minister of Israel
It is often easy to criticize those who are in a position of power. The saying “you can’t please everyone” rings especially true here in 21st century America. Though lately, with the current administration, there appears a sharper divide between supporters and opponents in society than ever before in history. The United States is the most powerful nation on earth. How long this title remains is unclear. As a superpower, the US is held responsible to ensure peace when possible and encourage warring parties to cease hostilities. In addition, America reserves the right to defend herself globally, both before and after a threat emerges. The rise of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) created a situation that had to be neutralized. Plainly put, the sudden formation of a large swathe of land under radical Islamic terrorist control certainly deserved to be eradicated before it could cause mass mayhem and chaos on United State’s soil. However, a broader more complex atmosphere surrounds this straightforward understanding. The American people are weary of war. We have endured conflicts in both Afghanistan and Iraq for almost two decades with no end in sight. Currently the US owes twenty trillion dollars in debt and faces many crises much closer to our borders. To summarize, war would be immensely unpopular and widely not supported. Make no mistake, we as a nation will rise to any occasion and defend ourselves when necessary. But what happens when that is accomplished? The answer, though cruel and disheartening, is clear, we leave.
The Kurdish people have endured a lot. They have no doubt suffered terrible loses in their fight against the Islamic state. Backed by the United States, both financially and militarily, they fought and died to protect themselves and defeat a radical Islamic monster. This alliance between America and the Kurds was one of mutual benefits. The US provided critical supplies, air support, and logistics. Kurds fought our enemy and subdued the threat. Now the situation has changed drastically, but our mission has not. Though we supported them once, we do not owe our sons, daughters, brothers, fathers, mothers, or any other American patriot to die for their cause. While we do not turn a blind eye toward aggression from other countries who wish to harm our Kurdish allies, why should we die to protect them? Recent events in the news have depicted an image of disloyalty and betrayal by our government and troops. This simply isn’t so. The Turkish invasion of Kurdish land in Northern Syria is not our fight. This is a no-win situation, where to become involved means a stance against a NATO ally, or abandonment of our Kurdish friends who once fought ISIS. There are various solutions that do not end with United States forces engaged in yet again another conflict in the Middle East. For example, the United Nations, an organization that is responsible for maintaining global harmony, can place peacekeepers on the ground, initiate peace talks and cease fires, or use sanctions and economic force to produce a cessation of hostilities.
Understanding that we, the majority, elected the president to make tough decisions and represent American interests, let the man do his job and keep our sons and daughters out of another endless war.
