‘Where have all the flowers gone?’

Bill Knight column for 7-18, 19 or 20, 2019

It’s doubtful that the United States would be considered the aggressor if fighter pilots shot down an Iranian drone over Lake Michigan. Yet the Trump administration is using Iran’s June 20 downing of a U.S. spy drone apparently near its coastline as one of several excuses for going to war.

The U.S. drone was eight miles from Iran, so the country had the right to control its airspace under international law, wrote Ashley Deeks and Scott R. Anderson at “Lawfare,” saying, “Practice suggests that a state can use force against unmanned drones that have entered its airspace without consent.”

The risky rush to yet-another military conflict is unpopular. Last weekend, nationwide antiwar protests included demonstrations in Chicago, Champaign and Carbondale, and on Friday, the House approved a bipartisan measure requiring Trump to get Congress’ OK for military action against Iran.

Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida commented, “If my war-hungry colleagues [are] so certain of their case against Iran, let them bring their authorization to use military force against Iran to this very floor. Let them make the case to Congress and the American people.”

The House action follows the Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which states, “Nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize the use of force against Iran or North Korea.”

Also Friday, Pew Research showed veterans doubt the merits of the “forever war,” with majorities saying military conflicts weren’t worth fighting in Afghanistan (58%), Iraq (64%) and Syria (55%), mirroring Americans overall.

And hundreds of faith leaders signed an open letter demanding a return to the multinational Iran deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), ending trade sanctions, and establishing safeguards for shipping in the Persian Gulf.

Tension with Iran isn’t new, but the current threat is tied to Trump reneging on that agreement, not in Iran’s responses. His escalations try to create justification for more war. A rough timeline:

* Last year, Trump unilaterally pulled out of the Iran deal (to spite Barack Obama, according to former UK ambassador Kim Darroch);

* after a year without the deal, Iran in May said it would resume uranium production;

* Trump ordered non-emergency government personnel to leave neighboring Iraq because of possible hostilities;

* he sent a carrier group with 7,500 troops, a squad of bombers, and 2,500 more troops to the region;

* he tweeted a threat of genocide (“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the end of Iran”), violating international law and the U.S. War Powers Resolution;

* four merchant ships on May 12 were damaged in the Gulf of Oman, and Iran denied involvement, calling it a provocation;

* on June 13, tankers from Japan and Norway were attacked and Iran again said it wasn’t responsible (a Japanese shipping executive also disputed the U.S. description, and the military news site Task & Purpose reported, “Not a single U.S. official has provided a shred of proof linking Iran to the explosive devices found on the merchant ships”;

* the drone was shot down, and the next day Trump ordered retaliation, then changed his mind;

* Trump imposed four new sanctions (all violating the UN Charter, which prohibits economic sanctions as acts of aggression); and

* he then ordered a campaign of cyber-attacks on Iran.

The U.S. government since 1947 has tried to overthrow foreign states more than 70 times, according to Boston College international politics professor Lindsey O’Rourke, and exaggerations and lies aren’t new, according to Gareth Porter, author of “The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare,” who noted that two frequent accusations – that Iran caused some 600 U.S. fatalities in Iraq and that Iran furnished roadside bombs to Shiite guerrillas – are false, reporting that Lebanese and Iraqi sources say the Shiiites instead copied Hezbollah techniques.

Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley (D-5^th Dist.), from the Intelligence Committee, commented, “Members feel that [National Security Adviser John] Bolton is up to his old tricks, [engaging] in a war on a unilateral basis based on questionable, politicized intelligence.”

A top UK general, Chris Ghika, contradicted Trump officials, saying there is no increased Iran threat in Syria, and European diplomats asked for “maximum restraint” rather than Trump’s maximum-pressure strategy.

The danger is real. It’s unlikely Iran would retreat like Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War. Iran has 500,000 active-duty troops plus 1.5 million militia, so however they’d respond could profoundly damage Middle East security.

“There’s no strategic reason for either side to go to war, but war could absolutely result,” said Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies.

“When will they ever learn?” sang Seeger (and the Kingston Trio, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary and others). “When will they ever learn?”