Don’t Bomb Iran…or Anyone else for that Matter

The United States military, under orders from President Trump, is currently preparing possible offensive strikes against the Iranian government. The strikes, if they do occur, will likely target military and political assets, with the IRGC, domestic repression forces, and Iranian leadership all serving as valuable areas for attack. The ostensible goal of this venture is to stop Iran’s ongoing atrocities against its own civilian population. Others have also begun to view the current turmoil as an excellent opportunity to hit two birds with one bullet and topple the Iranian regime writ large.

Iran’s actions have indeed been horrific and illegal. Thousands of Iranian civilians have been killed through state repression and shootings. Internet services have been shutoff for days, leaving Iranian civilians and global viewers within an opaque environment littered with confusion and concern. Just how many Iranians have been either killed or disappeared during this period is unknown, but what is definitive is that Iran has clearly violated international law. Iran must ultimately face consequences from the international community, and they must be swift and just.

As the supposed leader of the democratic free world, our government must shoulder this responsibility and vociferously pressure Iran into changing its behavior. Existing mechanisms and institutions that have characterized international law since the end of World War Two should be utilized in order to convey global and unified opposition. Alongside the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and regional organizations, our government must help to highlight that international laws are not optional, and that every country is subject to their reach and impact. Iran must be punished, and international law must be shown to be an effective outlet for political persuasion for those suffering from repression.

But the buck must stop here. No enemy, idea, or anti-American group can be wholeheartedly extinguished through the barrel of a gun. Force, while flashy and destructive, cannot generate democratic outcomes or build a politics that is committed to ending despotic rule. Unilateral military strikes will not solve the crisis in Iran, nor will they expedite regime changes well throughout the world. And history has shown this reality time and time again.

Force did not bring about an robust democratic revolution in Iraq or make us liberators; American air power and billions of dollars’ worth of aid did not prevent the Taliban from re-emerging in Afghanistan; NATO jets and bombs did not build a new Libyan government from scratch or protect the Libyan people from violence and slavery; and Israel’s bombing of Hamas has yet to collapse the terrorist organization or bring about a safer Gaza. All of these actions attempted to use force to deliver political outcomes, and all fundamentally failed in that regard.

Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya all became failed states where hundreds of thousands of innocent people were displaced, harmed, and killed. Gaza has been completely turned to dust, and all the while, Hamas has continued to gain in membership. All now suffer from persistent security concerns, domestic radicalism, and intense socio-economic instability; all were expected to be quick campaigns that would rapidly deliver change and justice; all were justified because of attacks against civilians and the Western world writ large. But none of these hawkish dreams or goals have managed to be turned into reality.

Military power and the use of force cannot supplant the years of work that are needed to build a successful and democratic polity. Bombings, decapitation strategies, kidnappings, and coordinated attacks on military assets can indeed deliver geopolitical gains by reducing military and political capacity, especially in the short term. But these momentary instances of “mission accomplished” and sanctimonious bragging can only go so far until the results of hawkishness boil to the surface and begin to consume those who had nothing to do with the operation.

Revolutions and political responses to authoritarianism fundamentally have to occur at the domestic level. They must be led by individuals and groups that have witnessed the regime firsthand and who possess an organic and natural opposition to their government’s activities. Governmental collapse and the subsequent transition to something new require organized and coherent currents that possess the ability and language necessary to build democratic forces. You can’t just bomb a country’s way to civil rights, labor activism, or democratic legitimacy; all these things take time and need a local leadership that represents the lived and painful experiences of millions.

Apartheid South Africa fell naturally, as did the various colonial regimes of Africa and Southeast Asia. No outside force was needed to help these groups and regions understand governing or the formation of progressive political currents, and in many cases, it was outside intervention from the West that ultimately resulted in severe mistakes. We (the US) overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran; we engaged with, armed, and supported countless authoritarian regimes in the name of anti-communism; we were the ones who dragged our feet for decades on opposing the white supremacist regimes in Africa while they were augmenting segregation and conflict. In some cases, we even supported their efforts to maintain white rule.

It is important to remember that it was American force which ultimately helped to create the Khmer Rouge, ISIS, and countless other groups that came back to bite us in the ass. Worse, some of these groups went on to inflict genocidal campaigns, which destabilized entire regions. Millions alone died in Southeast Asia because of our bellicosity, and within the Middle East, our actions and interventions have continued to deliver repercussions well into the 21^st century.

Bombing Iran, Cuba, or any other state enemy can deliver short-term gains and momentary declarations of victory, but they will not permanently impede authoritarian tendencies or other internal actions. Removing leadership will not necessarily bring about democracy, and no amount of regime change will ever be guaranteed to deliver better outcomes. Despite decades of bombings, decapitations, and invasions, all have failed to deliver better outcomes and stable countries. Cold War hawkishness did not bring universal democracy, nor did Bush’s unipolar moment in the Middle East. Trump’s bombing of Iran in the summer of 2025 did not comprehensively kill Iran’s nuclear program, and any new bombings will not manage to prevent further violence. War and intervention will not bring democratic revolutions or stable client states; instead, they will foment resentment and feelings of intense insecurity.

Thus, let’s not bomb Iran, or any other adversarial country, for that matter. It will fail to deliver decent objectives and will likely create destabilizing outcomes that plague millions. We must continue to support democratic movements and international law, but these strides and victories will not come through the barrel of a gun or the jettison of aerial munitions. They will come about through domestic protest and international political pressure. Anything else, especially regarding war, is ultimately a recipe for disaster and ruin.