'The US airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad lacked two key elements that any American military strategy must have: the trust of the American people and allies to back us up,' writes Rep. Eric Swalwell for CNNOpinion
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., serves on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees and co-chairs the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Follow him on Twitter at @RepSwalwell. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN.
The US airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad lacked two key elements that any American military strategy must have: the trust of the American people and allies to back us up. This world is full of bad actors, and how we choose to deal with them has far-reaching implications for our immediate national security and our long-term interests. Our adversaries, including Russia, China and North Korea, work against our interests every day, but we don't call in airstrikes against their top leaders or generals.Eric SwalwellSoleimani was among the worst, but he was not from some stateless terrorist organization -- he was a sovereign nation's senior military leader.
During a House Intelligence Committee hearing in November, Marie Yovanovitch, a longtime public servant and the former US ambassador to Ukraine, testified that"the US is the most powerful country in the history of the world in large part because of our values, and our values have made possible the network of alliances and partnerships that buttresses our own strength."It is a principle that, according to overwhelming evidence, President Trump ignored.
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