Why Are We Barking?
Everyone knows that dogs bark at other dogs when they want to challenge their alpha male status, and that the dominant dog doesn’t bark back because he knows his status is already recognized.
The attack on our Iraqi embassy was highly concerning, and increased troop presence in the area wasn’t a bad response, though, as I remarked a few days ago, we ought to tread lightly in order to avoid another long war. We also need to be asking a lot of questions, and then making sure that our leaders know where We The People stand on this issue. Killing one of Iran's top military leaders seems reckless and uncalled for. Yes we were threatened and everyone in the western world seems to agree that the world is better off without Soleimani, but that doesn’t mean we needed to take him out as a reaction. It was brash and just makes a volatile situation worse.
It’s also worth noting that Trump frequently accused Obama of planning to start a war with Iran to ensure his re-election. Seems like that idea never quite fell out of his head. It’s concerning that Trump is engaging with the Iranians in this tit for tat little showdown that could easily escalate into a proxy war. Trump has threatened the Iranians not to respond; what are the odds that they’re going to roll over and take this? Pretty low, and he knows it.
If push comes to shove, everyone on this big blue planet knows that the United States could handle the Iranians with both hands tied behind our back; we could literally wipe them off the map, and our allies would be grateful that we had (even if they’d publicly denounce such actions to save face). But why even engage Iran? Let them bark; we hardly ought to fear their bite. We only need to bite if we’re attacked; a subordinate dog won’t attack a dominant dog more than once.
When we bark back, we send them and the rest of the world a message that their attempts to fuck with us carry some weight, and that isn’t a message an alpha male ought ever send. Americans who are excited for war are just showcasing their ignorance and their inferiority complexes (@POTUS). We, as a nation, don’t need to prove ourselves.