Trump rightly portrayed the Iran intervention as a path to liberation from the Islamist’s repressive regime—a goal that resonates strongly with all those who value democracy and human rights. The initial days of the war have indeed demonstrated the effectiveness of decisive, targeted actions to weaken the regime while minimizing civilian suffering.
However, after more than two weeks and the apparent achievement of the military objectives, a consistent strategy for materializing the proclaimed regime change is needed to guide the country toward a positive and stable post-war solution. Given the increasing airstrikes on civilian targets, including industrial areas, there is a risk that the liberation will degenerate into a protracted, exhausting war, similar to the counteractive interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
To prevent a repeat in Iran at all costs, the root causes of the failures must be identified. These errors can be partly traced back to the Vietnam War (1955–1975) and the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1997). However, in the climate of uncritical mainstream media, a genuine analysis was impossible. Thus, the errors were repeated and even exacerbated in Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the countries of the "Arab Spring" of 2010/2011. The main errors included:
1. The militarily senseless destruction of civilian residential buildings and infrastructure, resulting in collateral civilian casualties.
2. The lack of solidarity shown to the civilian population, which violated psychological principles. This thwarted any solidarity with the US military and ruined its reputation.
3. The accompanying neglect of serious and truthful reporting, which should have explained the military actions aimed at liberation; instead, there was whitewashed censorship by the military—a tradition that dates back to the Spanish-American War (1898–1899).
4. Insufficient democratic oversight of the US military and intelligence services, which, closely intertwined with the arms industry and the financial sector, constantly pushed for increased military interventions and expenditures. During the presidency of George W. Bush, two notorious figures of the military-industrial complex, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, paved the way for the initiation and prolongation of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/08/18/taliban-surrendered-2001
5. The arming and training of supposedly pro-Western militias, which regularly involved the brutal treatment of civilians (see point 2), contributed to the tarnishing of the West's reputation and led to the proliferation of weapons to the enemy. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/world/middleeast/jihadists-receiving-most-arms-sent-to-syrian-rebels.html
These fundamental errors play directly into the hands of radical Islamists. They profit from the damage to civilian facilities and collateral civilian casualties, as the victimhood narrative of Muslims is fueled this way, which is promoted by NGOs, the UN, mainstream media and internet platforms.
This Islamic victimhood narrative leads to feelings of guilt in the West, prompting European politicians to open borders and accept the refugees brought on by a protracted war. The resulting Islamization deepens the destabilizing divide between left-wing and conservative citizens in the West. As the Gaza War demonstrates, Israeli involvement additionally rises dangerous antisemitism.
To end the Islamist dictatorship in Iran, it is now necessary to keep the estimated 80% of Iranians who oppose the regime to the side of the US-Israeli coalition. Therefore, any action that could be interpreted as an intention to harm and conquer the country, rather than liberate it, must be avoided. The targeted attacks on key military installations in the early days of the war mirrored Israel's successful strategy in the 1967 Six-Day War and were designed to quickly end the Ayatollah dictatorship. Terminating leaders responsible for the shooting of peaceful demonstrators was a morally justified signal against state terror.
However, there are increasing reports of attacks on vital civilian infrastructure (power grids, oil depots in populated areas, pharmaceutical facilities, etc.). Another strategic error is the CIA's arming of the Kurds (see point 5 of the list above). Such support for a minority could be perceived as an attack on the territorial integrity of the Iranian state and provoke resistance from Iranian patriots.
This, along with the targeted destruction of civilian infrastructure, threatens to transform the proclaimed liberation into a brutal conquest like the Iraq War (2003–2011). That war, too, began with the promise of liberation but plunged the country into tragedy with hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties, destroyed cities, and a collapsed economy.
The massive and avoidable involvement of civilians created an emotional barrier against US forces and their coalition. The damage and the general lack of sensitivity in dealing with the Iraqi population led to the supposed liberators being increasingly perceived as hostile invaders. Resistance escalated into terrorism.
Therefore, the West's primary objective in Iran must be to consistently avoid a repeat of the mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan.