The Iran Fiasco’s Bigger Picture

Steeped in disappointment, I write to you humbly and honestly. As the American machine once again lurches back into the Middle East, many of us are left cussing into the void. Our country still hasn't learned when enough is enough.

I say this not as an outsider but as a young American wondering when it's our turn for generational attention. I ask this not out of arrogance but out of genuine curiosity, fear, and a bit of existential dread. This country is something I feel extremely proud of. Not for its modern state, but rather for being a place where correction is not just permitted, but part of our founding requirements. It’s time we have an honest conversation, America.

We were told this was necessary — not out of bloodlust, but duty. But whose necessity does it truly serve? Iran has been a looming threat for decades. Earlier this year, negotiations finally showed real promise. For the first time in years, it felt possible to shift our focus to the far greater challenge: China. Then the talks with Iran collapsed. In a matter of months, bickering turned into decimation. We've already committed tens of billions to another Middle East theater. Even if costs eventually decline as we gain ground, one question remains: what the hell are we doing?

I ask this not out of arrogance but out of genuine curiosity, fear, and a bit of existential dread.

We see and feel problems here at home. Yes, the same problems we see written about hundreds of times, inundating our feeds. But when do we really start hitting a wall? A wall that will ultimately leave us in a place I don’t think many have truly let themselves feel. Part of the American condition is signing the future up for debt we had no knowledge of taking on. Debt we tell ourselves is for the advancement of “American goals”, but think of the old question we’ve all heard and likely asked: why are we the world’s police?

For international influence, of course – but have we considered other approaches? The “global cop” has been an “interesting” policy standard but at what cost? Do you remember a time when America wasn’t $40 trillion dollars in debt, or a time when you didn’t have to worry about deciding between gas or food? How about a time where you could work a normal job, and remain comfortable because you knew your dollar was worth something?

It’s time to be candid and forthcoming with ourselves. Our policy objectives in utilizing hard power as a form to garner influence has been a total failure. We find ourselves gloating about short term success without asking ourselves why it doesn’t last. We solve one problem, reap its benefits for a year, and then get awakened with another. America needs to zoom out. We do a great job in doing so when it comes to looking at stock charts, but for historical truths we turn a blind eye.

We ought to look at our true adversarial problem: China. A country that knows patience and has no problem sitting back as we toss ourselves back into the fire. A country that also unknowingly shows its hand – often more openly than it likely intends – through massive, overt investment despite strains of their own. They travel far and wide to garner influence via “a helping hand”, but the helping hand is one of hesitance and blatant disregard. Their foreign policy may be sloppy in execution, but in principle it's where America once excelled and where we were a bit more genuine.

Instead of spending our tax dollars on active conflict, it’s time we look inward. This approach has always been more sustainable because it's borne in generosity versus destruction. I don’t argue against our need to gain influence, but rather how we go about doing it. By investing in development internally, we set ourselves up for prosperity. By investing in development elsewhere in the world, we do something bombs and death could never do – represent what it means to be American in the truest sense: strength through generosity. We must end the pattern of being hated around the world, lending our children as targets for retribution for crimes we didn’t commit. Crimes we frankly abhor.

Strength through generosity.

Friends, let that be our generational mission, because I fear the attention we seek will remain at a distance. It’s time to realize we must stop waiting for resolution and start asking for a real seat at the table. To those who read this and may serve in positions of power, remember you can sell yourself out to the highest bidder, but what about your kids? What about their kids? It shouldn’t be a comforting thought that at some point the same blood that courses through your body will eventually be passed on to a generation that can’t fight. They couldn’t try because they never really had the chance we did. Show courage – true resolve in the face of a true fulcrum for our nation. Be beholden to those who fought with everything to get here in search of more. Remain honorable in the face of unfavorable odds not because it’s easy but because such a struggle is uniquely American.

Such a struggle is uniquely American.

Joshua K. Burke — The Iran Fiasco's Bigger Picture