Taming the bull

This letter refers to the article ‘Beyond the assassination’ (Jan 7, 2020) by Abdul Sattar. The writer has beseeched Western capitals to confront the mightiest bull in the ring. I believe it would be more appropriate to think regionally in terms of how things could play out in the aftermath of this very high-profile assassination. With blatant disregard of international and human rights laws, Trump authorized the use of hard power against a serving general of a sovereign state, jeopardizing not only the peace of the entire Middle Eastern region but also putting thousands of Americans living in the region in harm’s way. The justifications for this grotesquely stupid act being spewed out by the US administration are mired in American exceptionalism, aided in its impunity by a splintered and weak Islamic world.

Iran is faced with a conundrum, it cannot mount an all-out assault on American interests in the region nor can it do nothing, given the clamour and rage at home. Despite the recent rocket attacks on an American base in Iraq, Iran would not like to blow this out of proportion and moving forward may incrementally avenge this murder through asymmetric tactics in the Middle East and beyond. These prospective skirmishes and covert actions may not escalate into full-blown war, but would definitely keep all the regional and global stakeholders worried and eager to calm the impending storm. Western capitals may have a role to play, but this is the moment for the Muslim Ummah to join their voices and buttress Iran’s efforts to contain American imperialism.

Waseem Afzal Jadoon

Abbottabad