Opinion |
By no means, the view of Martin Luther is to be taken with the grain of salt which holds that blood alone moves the wheels of history. History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again. So, well, the first American surprise of 2020 sees the light of the day with the cold-blooded murder of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani by the US drones in Iraq.
Alongside Soleimani’s name, phrases like Archduke Franz Ferdinand and World War III have been trending, with a plethora of bane poured-in on the man who ordered the strike—not other than dotard Donald Trump. Plenty of parallels are being drawn between the death of General Soleimani and another killing 105 years ago. In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot dead, along with his wife, in Sarajevo Bosnia.
He was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Following the shooting, countries scrambled to take sides and it started off a chain of events that led to World War I. Next to Iran’s Supreme leader Ali Khamenei, General Qasem Soleimani was potentially the bigwig in the Islamic Republic. Qua head of its military abroad known as the Quds force, Soleimani was the mastermind behind the country’s belligerent policies across the Middle East.
The foremost lesson of history is that no one ever learnt any lesson from history. One killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand unleashed the event of mass-killing on account of World War I in the 20th century
The deceased was also widely considered as an originator of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s war against rebels in Syria, the rise of pro-Iranian paramilitaries in Iraq, the fight against the Islamic State group, and many battles beyond. Mesmerizing and often elusive, the silver-haired commander as a source of myth and social media memes had been the subject of documentaries, news reports, and even pop songs.
When his end was nigh, it was impetuous and sudden. On January 3, the Pentagon announced that it had carried out a successful drone operation to kill him, at the direction of President Trump. The assassination at the start of a new year and a new decade might turn into another Middle Eastern milestone, as the BBC pens down, touching off another sequence of bloody events.
To begin with, the Iranian regime must now be planning its answer to his death, to show that the position Soleimani spent so long creating outside its borders in the Middle East can be defended. The killing has increased tensions sharply, creating fears of a slide into an all-out war. The crisis in the aftermath of killing amplifies the chances of the bloody miscalculations.
Iran has sworn vengeance.
Read more: Iraq parliament demands US troop ouster after Soleimani killing
Ladden with the modern arsenal of rockets and missiles, Iran can attack the US ships in the Gulf. The US will surely retaliate by bombing Iranian oil refineries on the coast as a consequence of which oil prices will skyrocket. The key question is what the US will achieve with the new Middle Eastern war? Why does the US want to prove that its dominated world order has been failed to deliver for the weak?
Already there is a crisis of democracy coupled with the crisis of the world system in terms of UNO’s failure in the world. Isn’t all the international system on the verge of collapse with another reckless act of the US? President Trump says he ordered the assassination of Iran’s top general “to stop the war”. But that is simply not true.
Rather than stop a war, Trump just called Tehran’s bluff and wagered all in with the single most daring American act in a conflict that’s been raging for years. No American president has ever taken the fight to Tehran like this. It’s bold. It’s provocative. And it could set the Middle East aflame—but it is most definitely not stopping a war. Now, what will happen? Iran has already hoisted a red religious flag atop the mosque of Jamarkan, a symbol to avenge Soleimani’s killing.
Plenty of parallels are being drawn between the death of General Soleimani and another killing 105 years ago. In June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot dead, along with his wife, in Sarajevo Bosnia
Khamenei’s military advisor Maj. Gen. Hussein Dehghan said that Iran would directly hit US military sites. President Trump tweeted that “If Iran attacks an American base or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way…and without hesitation.” Unfortunately on both sides, there is no one of cool-tempers. With each passing day, the affairs of the Middle East are approaching dead-end.
Read more: Qassim Soleimani murder: An action that US will regret
It’s also in the air that allegedly American drones flew away from Qatar base to kill Soleimani. If it’s true then Iran will surely retaliate against those Arab states in which there is an ample presence of American bases. The most mature response came by DG ISPR to not use our land against anyone and to become the partner of peace, period. There are rumors that Mike Pompeo while talking with COAS Gen. Bajwa demanded the Shamsi airbase located in Pakistani Baluchistan to use against Iran. But sensibly Bajwa refused the same.
In other words, post- 9/11 threat of “either you are with us or not with us” was hurled again by Uncle Sam. Pakistan is very mindful of the fact that America versus Iran will be morphed into Arabs versus Iranians for Iran will hit back upon the US military bases in Arab states aggravating the strife within whole Ummah. So for Pakistan to be neutral is the most suitable position.
Rather than stop a war, Trump just called Tehran’s bluff and wagered all in with the single most daring American act in a conflict that’s been raging for years. No American president has ever taken the fight to Tehran like this. It’s bold. It’s provocative
Pakistan’s refusal will definitely draw the US’ ire and aptly peppered with sheer madness the US can attack Baluchistan to destabilize the CPEC as a consequent of which China will surely be sucked in. On the other side, another mad person namely Modi will definitely not let that golden opportunity waste and may invite the USA to wage a combined assault on Pakistan from the eastern front.
Obviously Russia will not keep silent particularly in the wake of recently held Sino-Russia joint naval exercise and will definitely take stand against the bully US. This will trigger such a saga of events which may, God forbids, end at nuclear winter. So what we are coping with is all but the horrific scenario of technological destruction and demise of civilization. The picture is so much bleak for the planet earth.
Read more: US killing of Soleimani: what we know
The foremost lesson of history is that no one ever learned any lesson from history. One killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand unleashed the event of mass-killing on account of World War I in the 20th century. I fear this recent foolish American killing of Iranian General will end upon another total war.
And unfortunately, a technological demonstrator has now become such a Frankenstein’s monster that in the wake of any horrendous massacre, even there will survive no historian to write the history of World War III. It is due to this reason that man is found to be cruel and ignorant.
Ali Abbas is a lawyer based in Islamabad and currently working with a law firm namely Kharal & Co. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.