The Struggle for Democracy Has No Borders
By Paul Kumar and Bill Fletcher, Jr.
On February 28, with all of his audacity, Trump made the choice to launch an aggressive, offensive war of choice against Iran. Despite having a strong contingent of isolationist and anti-war supporters, Trump and his most loyal Republican enablers initially described this as a war for freedom and to prevent Iran from its alleged pursuit of building weapons of mass destruction. This is in part how President George H.W. Bush described the first Gulf War, at that time encouraging Kurds and Shiites to rise up against the repressive Saddam Hussein regime. When Hussein brutally repressed the uprising, the U.S. did nothing to support the insurgents because it was no longer in the interest of the Bush administration. In 2003, President George W. Bush argued that the war against Hussein was against weapons of mass destruction, plus Hussein's repression, only to discover, as most of the world knew, there were no weapons of mass destruction. Instead of ushering in democracy, the U.S. helped plunge Iraq into years of sectarian wars and prolonged conflict.
The arguments repeatedly offered by the U.S. government in support of alleged humanitarian interventions are fundamentally fraudulent, and no credence should ever be granted to them. Indeed, as of Sunday, March 1, Trump and his supporters had already shifted to claiming that regime change should rightly have been an objective of U.S. foreign and military policy for the entire 47 years since supporters of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini toppled the Shah and founded the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that this recent action had been undertaken due to the combination of Trump’s uniquely strong leadership and the opportunity created by the recent prior Israeli and U.S. attacks, and the current regime’s weakened stance both internally and among its network of allies in the Middle East. Needless to say, Trump and company are casting aside international law, U.S. law, and common sense.
Added to this, just as in 2003, global capitalist firms benefited from the destruction of the Iraqi state, one can anticipate that, in Trump’s case, there are enormous personal and family business advantages being sought from this atrocity, as well as major profiteering opportunities for crony capitalists in the military, technology, and energy sectors.
To be clear, we are not offering support for the Iranian theocracy. Like most people of conscience and supporters of popular democracy, we stand with the Iranian people in their struggles against theocratic tyranny, and we also stand 100% against the aggression by the U.S. and Israel. The U.S./Israeli aggression, among other things, shifts discussions in both countries away from the criminal allegations against their respective leaders and, like a magician, has us looking at the left hand, while the trick is underway with the right hand.
We oppose the right-wing agenda being pursued by Trump and the MAGA ruling coalition both at home and abroad. Challenging the Trump-aligned authoritarian movement domestically means that we must also confront it internationally. The right-wing authoritarian and nationalist agendas of both the U.S. and Israel seek to reshape the world further in the interests of the super-rich and against the interests of the billions of people who cry out for justice. This cannot be allowed to happen. It must be called out, denounced, and blocked.
We shall not let this war of aggression pass in silence. "Resistance" must be our watchword!!
Preface: Win Without War, a longtime peace & justice group that, among other things was engaged in opposition to the Iraq war, but is now engaged in fighting back against the Trump Administration, released this February 28, 2026 statement.
Washington – In response to U.S. and Israeli government attacks on Iran, Win Without War Deputy Director Shayna Lewis released the following statement:
“We condemn President Trump for joining Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in a new and unnecessary war with Iran that threatens millions of people across the region, including U.S. servicemembers.
“This war is flatly illegal — neither authorized by Congress, nor justified under any international law. Trump has similarly failed to make his case to the U.S. public in any way. Instead, he has capriciously upended critical diplomatic negotiations to ignite a major, open-ended, region-wide war.
“Already, Trump’s violence, which he acknowledges may cost ‘the lives of courageous American heroes,’ has killed students and teachers, parents and children. If left unchecked, many more will die. Those deaths will be on Trump’s hands.
“While Trump has tried to portray himself as an ally to brave protesters in Iran facing grave violence, the Iranian government’s horrific record does not justify this reckless push to war. We know from decades of tragic U.S.-led interventions that bombs do not deliver peace and freedom to people struggling under brutal regimes.
“Congress must convene immediately and end this illegal war. This week, both the House and Senate will have yet another chance at passing War Powers Resolutions to rein in our out-of-control president. They owe it to their constituents, their constitutional duty, and people across the globe to vote yes.”
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