The Iran war: When bombs overrule diplomacy

Editor's note: Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs for CGTN. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 shook the world and shattered the hope for a potential peace agreement at the negotiating table. As Tuesday (Eastern Time), the latest extension of the deadline the US set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, approaches, what was declared as a rapid, decisive operation has now dragged into its second month, wreaking havoc across the Middle East and beyond.

Through the raging flames of war, we have witnessed not only heart-wrenching human tragedies, including the deaths of over 160 schoolgirls in one of the deadliest bombings in Iran, but also the familiar pattern of hegemonic hypocrisy of the US at every turn.

Disingenuous negotiations

For the Iranians, the strikes were a bolt from the blue. Just two days earlier, on February 26, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who had mediated the US-Iran talks before the war, publicly announced that the third round of indirect talks had made "significant progress," and that both sides had agreed to hold further technical discussions in Vienna the following week.

It is now clear that for the US, the negotiating table in Geneva was never set for peace; it was just a facade.

While negotiations were underway, the US president was briefed on military options against Iran, 20 US aerial refueling aircraft were deployed to Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, and the USS Ford steamed toward waters near Israel to form a "dual-carrier" strike group posture in the region alongside the USS Lincoln. This "perfect" diplomatic and military coordination sent only one message: The US never had a sincere plan for peace, only a carefully orchestrated hunting expedition.

Now the same playbook is being used again. While the US offers to resume talks with Iran, proposing a 15-point plan to end the conflict, there has been no let-up in its military operations. And the US is dictating the terms: Accept my plan, or I will bomb you until you do. Yet peace can only have a real chance when all parties enter into talks in good faith and under enabling conditions.

Hegemon's arrogance

Striking Iran without UN authorization and assassinating its top leadership constitutes an encroachment on state sovereignty in its worst form. When they set out, planners of the military action must have believed that by "decapitating" Iran's leadership and destroying its nuclear facilities and infrastructure, they could break the nation's will, force its surrender, or even trigger regime change.

But they seem to have forgotten a fundamental truth: When a nation's sovereignty and dignity are as brutally trampled as the US and Israel are now doing, the result is often not submission, but fierce backlash.

History has warned us of this time and again. From Iraq to Afghanistan to Libya, in each case attacks were launched with full confidence of a quick, decisive win, but only to drag on and end nastily, leaving behind a chaotic mess: socio-economic turmoil, intractable endemic conflicts and excruciating human suffering.

Military action may bring temporary gains – destroying facilities, eliminating targets – but the destruction and problems it caused will eventually come back to haunt; the opponents suppressed by force will retaliate with even greater intensity. Will the strikers this time achieve what they set out for? More and more people are seriously doubting it.

A dangerous precedent: International law in tatters

The Iran war and the shocking seizure of Venezuelan president by US forces earlier this year have prompted many to ask: What is happening to our world? Are we sliding back to the "might makes right" politics of the 19th century?

The UN-centered international system and the international order underpinned by international law are important cornerstones for the global community, providing guardrails for world peace and stability and protecting the small and weak from being bullied by big powers.

The US-Israeli action has set a terrible precedent. It has not only brazenly violated Iran's sovereignty and security, but also trampled international rules underfoot, egregiously undermining the authority of the international system with the UN at its core.

The US, as one of the principal architects of the post-World War II international order, should have been its most steadfast defender. Yet it has become its biggest disruptor. While condemning others for "violating international law," it breaches it at will. This naked double standard and its outright hegemonic acts once again prove that in its view, rules are meant to constrain others, not itself.

At this critical juncture, it is more important than ever for peace-loving people to stand up and safeguard the existing international order. Every war waged in the name of "ending war" will only breed new hatred and lead us further into the quagmire of endless vendettas.

Force cannot bring peace, and there are no winners in war. When bombs replace agreements, force replaces diplomacy, and when rules crumble and power politics run rampant, who can guarantee that you will not be the next victim?

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