Here We Go Again: A War That Makes Me Ashamed to Be an American

In terms of duration and losses, this war pales in comparison to other recent wars. The United States remained in Afghanistan for 20 years; we haven’t even been to Iran for two weeks. Nearly 200,000 people (troops and civilians, Afghans and Americans) died during the war in Afghanistan; 300,000 in Iraq. So far, an estimated 1,200 Iranian civilians and seven Americans have died.

But in terms of recklessness, belligerence and shamelessness, this war already surpasses that of Afghanistan. The United States, which in its best moments was a champion of democracy at home and a policeman against dictators abroad, is now using its military might to achieve a goal shared by Netanyahu and some American neoconservatives, but opposed by the American public, many elected officials and a wide range of world leaders. And the war has already resulted in such heinous military action (the bombing of the girls’ school) that American officials refuse to admit they did it.

Trump does horrible things every day. But on domestic issues, he largely represents the Republicans who voted for him. On the other hand, when it comes to foreign policy, his decisions speak on behalf of America to the world. And the message that he and therefore we are delivering is that the United States has enormous power and horrible judgment. We can and will kill the leader of any country at our whim. We can and will bomb a country so aggressively, for no real reason, that we accidentally kill 150 girls in school. This war is a permanent moral stain on the United States. This is the last time since the Trump presidency that I have been ashamed of being American.