Killing a top Iranian military leader was a whack-for-tat move. by Wes Clark
'Qasem Soleimani was no stateless outlaw like Osama bin Laden. This U.S. action sets us on a dangerous path of escalation.
Like the killing of Osama bin Laden, the strike on Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Thursday appears to be a stunning confirmation of U.S. military and intelligence capabilities. Like bin Laden, Soleimani was responsible for many American deaths; the Quds Force he led targeted and killed Americans, as bin Laden’s al-Qaeda did.
But there the similarities end. Soleimani was no stateless outlaw. He was a decorated public figure in a nation of more than 80 million people. He was the most renowned of the Iranian generals, hugely popular within Iran — and in Iraq, where supporters of an Iranian-backed militia stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad early this week.
If the killing of Soleimani was a response to that attack, it was clearly disproportionate: We suffered no casualties in the embassy standoff. Proportionality might have been some diplomatic pressure on Iranianauthorities in Iraq or elsewhere or, a notch up, seizing another Iranian ship. That makes what comes next highly unpredictable. And failing to think ahead to the likely Iranian next steps is extremely dangerous.
Foreign policy, especially military action, is the responsibility of the president. Even though it commonly reflects the considered recommendations of security professionals, it is also a product of the style and temperament of the president. This goes double for President Trump, who has steadily rejected military and diplomatic advice, discounted U.S. intelligence experts and carved out his own idiosyncratic policies. Since early 2017, Trump has danced around the edges of crises — first in Syria, then in North Korea and now with Iran. With the strike on Soleimani, he has finally been drawn fully into the dance — but does he know the steps?'>>>
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/01/03/killing-top-iranian-military-leader-was-whack-for-tat-move/?
= new reply since forum marked as read
