Whose War Is It?
Both Iran and Ukraine show war is still old people talking & young men dying
The extended deployment at sea of American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has not just exposed the logistical challenges of US’s war against Iran, but ugly realities of war itself. The Lincoln has been almost nine months at sea, and is about to break the record for the longest trip away from home port for a US carrier since Vietnam War. That record was set by another ship, USS Gerald R Ford, just months ago. Reports have surfaced of low crew morale and even suicidal tendencies among crewmen on the Lincoln, with family members of the deployed navymen lambasting the military leadership.
The Lincoln’s predicament exemplifies the manner in which US has carried out this war – without any clarity and constantly shifting goalposts. This has completely messed up logistics, and left navymen and their families in limbo. Naturally, the psychological pressure is immense – an open-ended war, combined with no port calls for months will lead to serious mental health issues. No wonder two sailors on the Lincoln jumped overboard in recent months. But Trump has batted away criticism. Which isn’t surprising. War, after all, is old men talking, and young men dying. It is this realisation that galvanised anti-war protests during Vietnam, finally compelling Washington to hightail it from that theatre.
But old people in power never learn. Whether Trump with Iran, or Putin with Ukraine, they continue to send young men to die to satisfy their own egos. But, in this hyperconnected world, it is slowly becoming difficult for the high and mighty to constantly pull the wool over people’s eyes. Trump’s approval ratings have plummeted following the Iran war. Putin recently banned the only anti-war party, Yabloko, from upcoming parliamentary polls in Russia. Internal resentment will only grow if young men continue to die in senseless wars. Old folks in authority must course-correct, or face trouble.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
