What makes a nation great? A strong economy, a high standard of living, the well-being of all its citizens, its military might, its ability to support other nations? Or is it something more ephemeral, such as trustworthiness, integrity, demonstrating leadership on critical issues facing the world?
The recent U.S. bombings of Iran illustrated the power of the U.S., but it undermined our reputation. On the day before the U.S. was to begin negotiating with Iran, we ignored laws and history and attempted to “obliterate” three of their nuclear sites. The United States has demonstrated its exceptional military might by joining with Israel in these preemptive attacks on Iran. However, these attacks went against the U.N. charter, international law and common morality. As the world watched the “Make American Great Again” leader, our country further decimated something precious — our integrity and trustworthiness.
Making war the day before a planned negotiation only confirms that the U.S. is about having its own way no matter what cost to another nation. This deceit shows the whole world our disrespectful behavior. It sows seeds of fear and distrust and likely encourages other nations to try to actually build nuclear weapons as their only way to keep U.S. bombs from falling on their people. This feeds into an arms race that siphons money from human needs and causes environmental destruction that undermines our ability to exist. And, it risks the nuclear war that we have only narrowly avoided until now.
There is an opportunity for greatness in this moment. It depends on the citizens of the U.S. waking up to our politicians’ shortsighted, dangerous behavior and demand compliance with international law from our government.
The U.S. could begin taking us back from the brink of a nuclear exchange. A nuclear exchange of five to seven warheads could begin a nuclear winter, leaving all life on Earth in jeopardy. Instead of joining with Israel to destroy and kill, we could support the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT), negotiate with Russia on START and other treaties we have broken or walked away from and sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (see ican.org for the full text of the TPNW). We can reinvest in the type of dedicated diplomacy and patient negotiations that stopped Iran from building a nuclear weapon for 30 years without the deaths, resources squandered and good will burned that the past two weeks have incurred.
We accuse other countries of rogue actions, even though we have not signed the treaties on the abolishing of chemical weapons, biological weapons, landmines or nuclear weapons. We tolerate and work with Israel as an enforcer of nuclear containment when they are a non-signatory of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and have a nuclear arsenal they have threatened to use. We drop bombs on civilian populations, assassinate people by drone and terrorize entire regions. This is not what a great nation does. It is the machinations of a rogue state.
While the media debates over and over whether the attack destroyed Iran’s unproven program to build a nuclear bomb or not, it could be informing us about the legal and cooperative things our nation could do to keep the entire world safe. They could be honest about how others in the world see us and how our actions might come back to hurt us.
Fortunately, some of our elected officials are concerned about our safety. This year, for the twentieth time, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the U.S. to lead the effort to reverse the global arms race and prevent nuclear war.
As citizens we can ask persons running for office how they will work to abolish nuclear weapons. We can call Representatives Goodlander and Pappas and ask them to become co-sponsors of HR 317 which calls for the halt of the nuclear arms race. We can work with our cities and towns to join the nine communities in New Hampshire that have signed the Back from the Brink resolution to abolish nuclear war. See preventnuclearwar.org and nhpeaceaction.org.
We are about to commemorate 80th anniversary of the the nuclear attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. on August 6 and 9. New Hampshire Peace Action, an organization born out of the nuclear freeze movement of the 1980s, will be sponsoring a free memorial gathering on Saturday, August 9 at 5 p.m. in Concord. All are welcome.
Let’s make American great again and cooperate with the rest of the world for true security by taking steps to abolish all nuclear weapons.
Amy Antonucci is the chair of the New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund board and lives in Barrington. Sandra Yarne, Ph.D., is a member of the New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund board. She lives in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and works in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.