World War Three?

Qassem+Soleimani

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Qassem Soleimani

On January 3rd, U.S President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike on a Baghdad airport that killed Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general, prompting fear of World War 3. Following the attack, Iran’s ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi said that there will be revenge, prompting many controversies that say this will start the 3rd world war. Feisal Istrabadi said that killing on Iraqi soil has the potential to start a major proxy war with Iran that will have some significant backlash on their country since there are so many proxy wars as we speak, spreading their forces thin, and demanding further cost to be focused on military expenditures.

The attack on Qassem Soleimani was initiated because of his connections to terrorist groups. An article about him on the Boston Globe, states that he was the mastermind behind most if not all the proxy wars in Iraq. He also has countless American soldiers’ blood on his hands so much so he was called bloodthirsty. Israelhayom says “Soleimani was a key figure in spreading and maintaining Iran’s aspirations of regional hegemony through acts of terrorism”. He wielded immense power and influence in his position even with his death, the Iraqis realized that they couldn’t get their revenge simply because they cannot match the United States which has more allies and more technological advances as them.

Soleimani’s death was a crushing blow to the people in Iran who wanted to expand their region simply by his influence on his people. President Trump knew that there would be some kind of consequence for bombing the general but as we have seen so far their necessity hasn’t been any so far but, how will the effect of killing Soleimani impact our country?

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the Grand Foyer at the White House on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

Americans saw some effects when Iran retaliated by attacking the U.S embassy, killing 24 people while chanting the death of America. After these events had occurred it was clear that tensions were high. Then in true American fashion, twitter and the internet created memes. Jokes about there being another war trended on multiple social media sites and there are many who are concerned about there being another draft, which isn’t out of the question if there’s a war on the horizon.
A draft is on everyone’s mind, and concern is normal. After the events that took place many men over 18 who applied for financial aid or have gotten their driver’s license are scared because of the concern of the draft. As the trend of #WWIII hits all social media platforms many jokes about joining the draft have surfaced even though this is a serious situation, many people can’t help getting but get a laugh or two out of it.
The fact that people make jokes about this is absurd. They don’t really realize how bad this may seem. On November 24, 2014, South Korea hacked sony in fear that “The Interview” a movie about their leader Kim Jong-un was a sign that the U.S was planning to kill him. If one instance like this happened, consider the consequences it might lead to if Iran somehow thinks that we are trying to plan a war or they think we are currently drafting people to go to war. The jokes aren’t funny, there is already so much tension between the U.S and Iran one rumor could lead to an outbreak which may lead to war. So STOP with the jokes. This is serious stuff.