More Destruction Is Not a Plan for Peace

 I understand why some people want to see the United States show that it can defeat Iran decisively. But wanting a victory and having a plan to achieve one are two different things. After all the threats and attacks, Iran has not been brought to total defeat. Congress and the American people have a right to ask what another major military operation would accomplish.

The United States cannot afford to mistake the ability to inflict more damage for a plan to end this war. Bombs can destroy buildings and weapons. They cannot, by themselves, guarantee a lasting peace, reopen shipping, or settle the question of Iran’s nuclear program.

I am especially concerned about talk of a large-scale invasion. Such an operation could draw more countries into the fighting and put additional oil routes and facilities at risk. If supplies were seriously disrupted, the harm would reach well beyond the Middle East. Nations that depend on imported oil could face severe economic trouble. Here at home, higher fuel costs would fall on families, truckers, and farmers already trying to make ends meet.

I am not a farmer, but I live in a farming community. I see why the price of diesel matters. Farmers cannot harvest a crop, move it to market, and prepare for another planting season on promises that the war will soon be won. When their costs rise, the effects eventually reach every household.

Congress should demand clear objectives from the administration. What does victory mean? What would another attack or an invasion achieve that previous military action has not? What is the cost to American lives, to our economy, and to people throughout the region? And what serious diplomatic path is being pursued to reopen shipping, reduce the fighting, and address Iran’s nuclear program?

Waiting until after the midterm elections may suit a political calendar. It does nothing for the people living with this war or for those paying its growing costs. A nation should never enter a larger war simply because its leaders cannot admit that the present course has failed to bring peace.

As a Christian, I pray for the people of Iran, Israel, and every country caught in this conflict. I pray for our service members and their families. I also pray that our leaders will have the humility to pursue a way out before more lives are lost and more nations are pulled toward economic disaster.

The question before us is not whether America can cause greater destruction. It is whether our leaders have the wisdom to prevent it.