The Iran war is a disaster for young people

I wasn’t even alive for the start of the Iraq war. But as I watch the US war against Iran threaten to spiral out of control, I’m starting to see what that might feel like.

The Iraq War was foreshadowed on a lieBut the Bush administration at least try To justify it. If anything, the war in Iran has been leveled more Poorly justified – and lacking any coherent strategy.

And young people especially have a part to make it end as soon as possible

For millennia, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq ushered in the destruction of the future they promised. For Generation Z, the war in Iran is worsening the future we already worried would be worse.

Meanwhile, around 2,500 people have been confirmed killed in the region since the start of the war. Most of the dead were Iranian and Lebanese civilians – including more than 180 people in a US strike Girls Primary School. American soldiers, most of whom are under 30, are also at risk. At the time of this writing, 13 people have been confirmed dead, and hundreds injured.

The Trump administration has proposed multiple explanations For this battle, neither of which is very coherent. Change of regime? of Iran Nuclear enrichment program? of Iran Missiles and drones? The interpretation changes from day to day.

Sending young people to die in another forever war — without even telling them why — is a tragedy, especially since the president refuses to cancel a military draft. (My younger brother will be draft-eligible, so that hits close to home.)

The war was also economically devastating. oil price Above $100 per barrel And is expected to keep climbing – potentially 200 dollars per barrelWhich would be disastrous for the global economy. Meanwhile, everything from gas from food from Flight from fertilizer Made more expensive.

For Gen Z, already Financially less secure Compared to previous generations, we face greater or equal economic shocks The oil embargo of the 1970s – and in the prime years of our careers. We may also see slow recruitment, creating a Already brutal job market bad

What’s more, we have some common sense investments can Building in young people — such as expanding health insurance, eliminating student loans, or removing barriers to home ownership. Instead, we are spending a billion dollars a day on this war, according to National Priority ProjectsAnd the Pentagon is asking $200 billion more.

This war is also an environmental one the nightmare. Attacks on fossil fuel infrastructure by both sides have set refineries and gas fields ablaze, releasing millions of tons of greenhouse gases. Experts warn that these pollutants may remain in the environment for decades to come.

Ultimately, this war is disastrous because of its long-term implications for war and peace.

Throughout this war, we have seen the United States and Israel violate time-honored principles of engagement. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would offer “no quarter” to our enemies, which the United States has recognized as a war crime. Since the Civil War. It used to be taboo to talk about killing civilian heads of foreign states, even ones we didn’t like, but now the US and Israel openly brag about beheading Iran.

And of course, this war is clearly illegal — a A war of pure aggressionwithout any imminent threatand without any UN Security Council approval or Congress.

When we ignore these rules, the world becomes a more violent place. This war could spell the destruction of the post-1945 international legal system, which – however flawed and unevenly enforced – is preferable to a world in which justice can be done.

No wonder the public overwhelmingly disapproves of war – and dissent is particularly strong Among the young generation. In this time of uncertainty and tragedy, we must use every tool available to force this war to stop. Our future depends on it.

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Previously published with otherwords.org Creative Commons License

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