Should you worry about war with Iran?

War with Iran? No need to worry

If you have been keeping up with the news, or social media lately, you have probably heard or seen Iran in headlines. Memes about World War 3 and the draft, along with headlines about dangerous tensions with Iran have taken over the internet, and have many worried. To understand why people are worried though, it’s necessary to take a step back and understand what led to this point. On January 3rd, 2020, the United States conducted a missile strike in Iraq effectively assassinating Qassem Soleimani, an Iranian Military General. Following this airstrike, the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq came under siege by Iranian and Iraqi civilians. Soleimani was regarded as a terrorist and was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List (NPR), and according to President Trump and the Pentagon, was responsible for the killing of Anti-Muslims in the Middle East (NPR). Soleimani was a “celebrity-like” figure in Iran, and a Major General in the Iranian Quds. Quds, a branch of Iran’s military, is a secretive special operations and spy agency. The Quds have been viewed as extremists by the Western World, mainly for “swearing to reclaim land from Israel,” (BBC). It is not hard to understand why Soleimani was a target for the USA and other allies. Immediately following the missile strike, the US claimed responsibility and Iran vowed “crushing revenge.” Following up on Iran’s promise, on January 7th, Iran launched 12 missiles at two US military bases in Iraq. It was reported that there were no casualties, however there was damage to multiple buildings and aircraft hangers (NPR). Finally, on January 8th, President Trump announced that the US would not resort to violence currently, but would instead turn to stricter and more punishing economic sanctions and would ask North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO) members to do the same. Trump also warned of the US’s supreme military power over Iran, along with comparable allies (BBC). Following the original airstrike killing Soleimani, many social media “memes” were created. These memes surrounding ‘World War 3’ and ‘reinstating the draft’ spread like wildfire across social media sites. They also served as a stark reminder of the dangerous tensions between the US and Iran. So here’s why you shouldn’t be worried about another war or the draft. The draft is a process in which men from ages 18 to 25 have to legally enter, and if selected, join the armed forces. The draft was revoked from use in 1973 after protests over it and controversy over the Vietnam War (New York Times). Even though the draft has ended, it still lives on in a sense. The Selective Service is a program which all men, once 18, must legally be available for federal aid. However, if a draft was reinstated, this would mean all men would have to

EDITORIAL

legally

JACK BREEZLEY join the draft via the selective service. This is what has people worrying Features Editor the most. Fortunately, it is very unlikely that the draft would ever be reinstated unless in dire need of manpower, but as it currently stands, the US has 1.3 million currently en- listed individuals serving

in the armed forces (New York Times). In the process of banning the draft in 1973, there was wide joint party support, meaning both political parties, Democrats and Republicans, supported the end of the draft, and this is a commonly held belief of both parties today (New York Times). Additionally, in the event of reinstating the draft, the bill would have to go through the House of Representatives and the Senate, and finally the President, and if any of those three says no, the bill is forgotten (NPR). So if you’re nervous about being drafted or having to fight, don’t be worried, as a draft would be very hard to reenact. If you’re worried about war with Iran too, I hope I can bring you some sense of calm. On January 8th, Trump stated that the US and NATO allies would enforce stronger economic sanctions on Iran. In doing so, Iran would eventually be forced into political talks. This method, although slower, would ensure peace over violence. However, if Iran were to retaliate using violence, the US would most surely at that point be obligated to respond with violence, ending in only more violence. Fortunately though, Iran knows that they are underdogs. The US has very powerful allies such as Japan, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, France, Suadi Arabia, and many other countries. Iran would be drastically outnumbered in conflict which surely is a strong deterant to violence. So in the end, it is unlikely that the tensions with Iran will escalate to war, and that the draft would ever be considered to be reinstated. So next time you see those memes about ‘World War 3’ and ‘the draft’ just shake them off your shoulder and know they aren’t serious.

eldiablonews.com 17

LAUREN MCFARLANE Features Editor

On his 2016 campaign trail, Donald Trump made a promise. He was going to build a “great wall” on the Mexican border and he was going to make Mexico pay for it. Four years later, little progress has been made on the wall and billion of dollars have been spent. So, where is his funding coming from and where is it going? After his election, Trump said, “I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border and I’ll have Mexico pay for that wall.” In January 2017, Trump began to attempt wall construction but he lacked appropriate funding. At the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019, the government shut down because Trump refused to pass any bill that didn’t include budget for the wall. Mexico adamantly refused to pay for the wall, derailing Trump’s plans. An article from CNBC in Feb. 2019 claimed that the Trump Administration would pull $1.375 billion from Homeland Security, $600 million from the Treasury Department, $2.5 billion from the Department of Defense’s Drug Interdiction Program and $3.6 billion from the Department of Defense’s Military Construction program. So in total, the Trump Administration requested over $7.5 billion, taking money from valuable programs like the Drug Interdiction Program and the Treasury Department’s Drug Forfeiture. Recently, he claimed he will need $11 billion to build all 576 miles of the wall. Though he has spent billions of dollars, he hasn’t actually built any new barriers. Trump has replaced over 100 miles of existing barriers, (the border fence is about

576 miles long). Here’s what he could have done with that money instead. By spending 5,000 to 20,000 dollars a day, we could clean the ocean (between $122 million-$489 million per year). This doesn’t include equipment, disposal or labor costs, but Trump would have enough money in his budget to cover those as well. He could also help reduce carbon emissions and help America become more sustainable overall. Trump could invest $2.2 billion of his $11 billion on the American public. $438 million could be spent on contraceptives for teenagers. $200 million could be spent on permanent housing for 20,000 homeless people. $258 million could be spent on literacy programs to improve education in America. The money could also be spent on bettering our education system. Decreasing the student to teacher ratio would improve student performance. $11 billion dollars would buy over 7,000 teacher salaries and benefits of $75,000 per year for 20 years. Around the world, Trump could spend $270 million to supplement Vitamin A for children in poorer countries, which reduces their chances of health risks. $100 million dollars could be spent to improve research around the country. Any amount of money could be put into mental health research or facilities. Though the border wall does address the concerns of many Americans, the funding for its fortification is better suited to address internal issues like human rights and health care, rather than trying to isolate our country.