Todd Leva: Amidst the world's chaos, now is the time for US to lead

I remember the days and weeks after 9/11. The world rallied around us like nothing I had ever seen before. Red, white, and blue adorned various capitals around the world. Fast forward to today, seeing the blood and treasure we lost in Afghanistan, breaks my heart. We then ignored all rationale, squandered the world's goodwill and invaded Iraq over lies. This war did not need to happen. Driven by the military-industrial complex, bloodthirsty “leaders” like Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Bush Jr. — damn the intelligence, damn the damage it did to our most sacred, the U.S. military.

I cannot help to think that, as we plundered our way through Iraq, if we didn’t play right into Bin Laden's hand? Yeah, it is not lost on me that when the first Gulf War occurred in 1991, Iraqi forces had already swept through Kuwait. Saudi Arabia was rightfully afraid and called upon the United States to expel Iraq from Kuwait and protect their kingdom. It was an overwhelming success. But history is short-sighted in the Middle East.

The world has changed in so many ways. Oct. 7 was a horrific bloodbath in Israel. We forget that on a per capita basis, Oct. 7 for Israel was 15 times greater than 9/11. I cannot ignore, however, watching in real time, Israel make very similar mistakes as we have done. Hamas knew that if the attack was heinous enough, Israel would lay waste to the Gaza Strip. Israel has not disappointed Hamas’ plan.

I also understand the Palestinian plight is much more nuanced than the clickbait we see in the media. That said, how can we ignore the Palestinian death toll reported now to have crested 26,000?

What is missed in all of this is a gathering, dangerous, and direct threat to the greater region. All these terroristic groups are by proxy, fueled, funded and directed by Iran. Hezbollah to Israel’s north, directly related to Iran, is a much greater threat to Israel than Hamas, and we are a single thread away from this becoming a hot war. We now have the Houthis in Yemen threatening global tanker traffic in the Red Sea, recently hitting a British cargo ship with a missile. To top it off, now Iran’s proxy groups have crossed the redline, killing at least three American soldiers and wounding 30 or more.

The Biden administration since Oct. 7 has been walking a tightrope. Supporting Israel on the one hand, trying to keep the region from exploding into a greater regional war, but now having to dance on the razor's edge. The administration cannot ignore the brutality that Israel has unleashed on the Palestinians. However, containment and a kid-glove approach with Iran has not, nor will not work either. I am not advocating for war with Iran. However, we cannot allow them to operate with impunity. It only emboldens them.

The Biden administration, after the death of American troops, has stated we will respond in a time and place of our choosing. This response cannot be merely “proportional” as we have become so accustomed to. Iran has assets in Yemen, Iraq and Syria, as well as naval ships and assets in Iran proper. Iran publicly decries that they, too, don’t want a wider war. However, every action they take says otherwise. Sometimes deterrence needs to be harsh, and this is one of those times.

It is a complicated world. We cannot allow our internal politics to blind us to reality. Russia continues to pour more and more troops into the meat grinder that has become Ukraine. North Korea and Russia grow closer and closer. However, because our internal politics has become so upside down, we have one party that praises Putin, Xi, and other dictators at our own peril and if given the chance, would simply hand Ukraine to Russia. Taiwan recently elected a president that China warned against. Xi has made his plans clear — Taiwan reunification is going to happen, it is merely a matter of time. To add to the world's dangers, Pakistan and Iran recently attacked each other as well.

We cannot speak with fractured voices in the U.S. We should condemn Israel’s heavy hand in Gaza, but we cannot give explicit support to Putin either. We have to lead, and with the speed at which the world is changing, we need to lead now.

— Todd Leva is a resident of Zeeland. Contact him at toddleva@att.net.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Todd Leva: Amidst the world's chaos, now is the time for US to lead