A moral reckoning for American power
Growing up during the Cold War, many of us were taught a simple story: Russia was the enemy, and the United States was an unequivocal force for good. A more honest reckoning with history — from the dispossession of Native Americans and the legacy of slavery to the wars in Vietnam and Iraq — complicates that story.
Today, American weapons are being used by Israel as Gaza endures devastating destruction and civilian suffering. The scale of the loss of life and damage to essential infrastructure forces us to confront a deeper moral crisis. It also prompts a difficult question: Do we have the leaders we deserve?
The same questions arise from the war with Iran. The United States and Israel launched strikes while nuclear negotiations were underway, without an immediate Iranian attack on the United States. Whatever the stated aims, starting a war in those circumstances demands a clear public justification — and an honest accounting of the human cost and the risk of widening the conflict.
History and theology both caution against assuming that any nation possesses a divine mandate. Governments pursue strategic interests, often dressing political ambition in the language of exceptionalism. When our leaders fund and arm devastating conflicts, they risk abandoning the universal human values they claim to defend.
In times of conflict, we should look for a moral center not in the capitals of empires or the weapons they deploy, but among the civilians who suffer: the innocent, the vulnerable, and the oppressed. We must demand leadership that recognizes their humanity and acts accordingly.