The unfolding confrontation involving the US, Israel and Iran is not a necessity born of circumstance – it is a preventable crisis driven by misjudgement, inconsistency and the reckless substitution of diplomacy with coercion. Recent history offered ample warning. From Vietnam to Iraq and from Libya to Syria, the pattern is unmistakable: military interventions launched without a clearly defined political end-state have repeatedly produced instability rather than order. Yet, despite this consistent record, the same approach continues to resurface – detached from both historical lessons and present realities.
There is still time to reverse course. Diplomacy, restraint and respect for international law remain the only viable instruments capable of preventing further escalation. But such a shift requires a fundamental recognition that power, when exercised without clarity, consistency and purpose, ceases to be effective. If these lessons continue to be disregarded, this conflict will accelerate a broader erosion of global stability. And in that outcome, no nation, however powerful, will remain untouched.
M Shaban Uppal
Lahore
