Wars and Rumors of Wars

In War: Resolution

In Defeat: Defiance

In Victory: Magnanimity

In Peace: Good Will

The time is quickly approaching in the war on terror where the stakes, by the very nature of this type of war, must increase. There are dozens of rogue nations and terrorist entities that are trying their best to acquire nuclear weapons as a way of gaining political legitimacy or as a method to push their political agendas throughout the world. Iran, with their never-ending desire to become nuclear relevant in today’s world, is leading the pack. It seems that every recent American administration has to deal with this reality. The current Trump administration is not immune.

In October of last year, according to the Israeli Defense Force, Iran fired approximately 200 missiles into Israel. These missiles included the hypersonic Fattah weapons system. Is there anyone with a functioning brain out there who would argue that if Iran had the capability to send nuclear missiles into Israel that they would not do it? To me, their doctrine and stated objectives tell me they would annihilate Israel if they had the chance.

For example, the head of the Iranian army, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi recently claimed that on “Iranian forces were working to ‘annihilate’ Israel and predicted they would achieve success within 25 years. (Yes, doctrinally speaking, this is a stated objective: Answers the questions of who, what, where and when although ignores the question of why). He further boasted, “When the arrogant powers create a sanctuary for the Zionist regime to continue survival, we shouldn’t allow one day to be added to the ominous and illegitimate life of this regime.” (Yes, this is part of their stated doctrine) Illegitimate life?? “The Army will move hand in hand with the IRGC (Revolutionary Guards) so that the arrogant system will collapse and the Zionist regime will be annihilated.” (Yet another objective). Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned that the Lebanese terror group’s rockets could hit all of Israel.

Hossein Salami, vice commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, warned “Israel: Don’t trust in your airbases; they’re within reach,” He then stated that Israel existed within, “the dragon’s mouth.” This why I do not rely upon what I think you may do but rather I trust you will do what you say you will do. Or at least try to do. (https://cufi.org/issue/iran-threatens-to-annihilate-israel-as-hezbollah-boasts-of-reach-of-rockets/)

When I read the powerful words of Winston Churchill, as I have stated many times in the past, I truly feel my inadequacy as a writer. He had a way of purporting the truth that could bring a chill down the spine of even the most hardened of his opponents. Sir Isaiah Berlin wrote, “So hypnotic was the force of his word, so strong his faith, that by the sheer intensity of his eloquence he bound his spell upon [the British people] until it seemed to them that he was indeed speaking what was in their hearts and minds. Doubtless it was there, but largely dormant until he had awakened it within them. . They went forward into battle transformed by his words.” Only if we had a statesman anywhere in the western world today who could match Churchill’s powerful orations.

In an attempt to describe my feelings about the increasing saber rattling against Iran and their stance on nuclear weapons coupled with their commitment to destroy our Jewish brothers in Israel, I took the liberty of quoting some of Churchill’s most powerful speeches. Each quote, written over three-quarters of a century ago, still rings true today. In the following paragraphs, the substitution of the words “communist,” “neo-Fascist” and “Russian friends” with “Islamic fundamentalist” or “Iran” and Churchill’s words could have indeed been written specifically for crises now before all of us.

His words stand as unwavering principles that cannot be delegated or ignored. Once engaged in conflict, our aim must be to win. Next, a dedicated enemy, one (Iran) that has continued to rant about the demise of an entire people (Israel), must not obtain an arsenal of weapons that can directly challenge either our sovereignty or the survival of millions. Lastly, if force is what the enemy best understands, and in turn we are driven in that direction, we must apply overwhelming force against him. That application of force needs to be well beyond the enemy’s expectations and he must believe that more horrific and unimaginable destruction and suffering will come should he continue to resist. Read Churchill’s words carefully, digest them conscientiously and meditate on them soulfully.

[Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: 13 May, 1940] “You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. . . Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.”

[Iron Curtain: 5 March 1946] “It would nevertheless be wrong and imprudent to entrust the secret knowledge or experience of the atomic bomb, which the United States, Great Britain, and Canada now share, to the world organization, while it is still in its infancy. It would be criminal madness to cast it adrift in this still agitated and un-united world. (Author: See the note at the end of this Robservation) No one in any county has slept less well in their beds because this knowledge and the method and the raw materials to apply it, are at present largely retained in American hands. I do not believe we should all have slept so soundly had the positions been reversed and if some Communist or neo-Fascist State monopolized for the time being these dread agencies. The fear of them alone might easily have been used to enforce totalitarian systems upon the free democratic world, with consequences appalling to human imagination. God has willed that this shall not be and we have at least a breathing space to set our house in order before this peril has to be encountered: and even then, if no effort is spared, we should still possess so formidable a superiority as to impose effective deterrents upon its employment, or threat of employment, by others. . .

“From what I have seen of our Russian friends and Allies during the war, I am convinced that there is nothing they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for weakness, especially military weakness. For that reason, the old doctrine of a balance of power is unsound. We cannot afford, if we can help it, to work on narrow margins, offering temptations to a trial of strength. If the Western Democracies stand together in strict adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter, their influence for furthering those principles will be immense and no one is likely to molest them. If, however, they [the UN] become divided or falter in their duty (italics added) and if these all-important years are allowed to slip away then indeed catastrophe may overwhelm us.”

Hear, hear!

Author’s Note: There are now, in 2025, nine countries with nuclear weapons – Russia (5,889), the United States (5,224), China (410), France (290), U.K. (225), Pakistan (170), India (164), Israel (90), North Korea (30). Countries “hosting” nuclear weapons are: Italy (35), Turkiye (20), Belgium (15), Germany (15), the Netherlands (15) and Belarus with an unknown number. These numbers are from the Federation of American Scientists SIPRI Yearbook of 2023 and are a rough number that has likely changed since then. (https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals) For example, as of mid-2024, China had increased their inventory to over 600 and is expected to have more than 1,000 by 2030.

There is no doubt that Iran will try to do what it says it will do. Why would you not believe it. Hitler called his shots long before the war started and the entire world ignored them until it was too late. There is no way that can be allowed to happen. One thing for sure is that the feckless, anti-Israel U.N. will certainly not do anything to help deter rogue nuclear ambitions especially when the target is the Jewish state of Israel. At some point in the future, with Israel’s existence in the balance, the questions will become, “If not us, who? If not now, when?”

THE VIEWS OF SUBMITTED EDITORIALS MAY NOT BE THE EXPRESS VIEWS OF THE ALABAMA GAZETTE.