NORTHAMPTON — U.S. airstrikes at the Baghdad International Airport that killed Iran’s top security and intelligence commander Thursday night are raising significant concerns for the congressmen who represent western Massachusetts and local activists and Middle East experts, who fear the Trump administration’s actions will escalate conflicts in the Gulf region.
U.S. Reps. James P. McGovern and Richard E. Neal issued statements Friday critical of the airstrikes, following the death of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. They described the strike that killed high-level Iranian officials as “reckless” and “unacceptable” without authorization for use of military force against Iran, or consultation with Congress.
“Because of this, we are at a dangerous crossroads,” Neal said. “The full Congress must be briefed immediately before any other action is taken or any additional troops enter the region.
“While our highest priority is to protect American lives, we cannot do it at the expense of our service members or those representing us overseas,” Neal added.
McGovern similarly expressed worry at the decision. While he described Soleimani as a “ruthless military dictator who had American blood on his hands,” McGovern said the airstrikes are a serious and potentially destabilizing escalation that could lead to war with Iran, an action that has not been authorized by Congress.
“Republicans and Democrats alike do not want war with Iran. The American people do not want war with Iran. We are sick and tired of endless wars,” McGovern said.
Another problem, McGovern said, is that President Donald Trump has offered no plan to deescalate the situation and prevent it from spiraling into “an ever-escalating series of retaliatory actions that would almost certainly put American troops and innocent civilians in harm’s way.”
“The president’s reckless strike — clearly without a lot of thought — will also likely embolden hardliners in Iran, increase the likelihood of extremist retaliation throughout the region, and encourage more anti-Americanism in Iraq,” he said. “This is a dangerous moment for the United States and the world.”
The Pentagon has defended the airstrikes, saying that Trump ordered the “decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel” and that Soleimani was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
Michael Klare, Five College professor emeritus of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, said what is happening is “deadly serious” and that pressure has been building in the Middle East for a while.
“This could be a spark of a much bigger conflagration,” Klare said, adding that people should understand that the effects will not be localized to Iraq and Iran.
Klare expects a response from Tehran in the form of revenge, possibly something unconventional like Iran’s attacks late last year on Saudi refineries, and that the airstrikes will also spark uncontrolled protests and uprisings of Iranians.
He said he isn’t sure what action Congress could take, noting that there are many hawks who are cheering the assassination. While there had been hopes of drawing down troop levels on both sides of the aisle, that is unlikely now, even though he said there will be increasing pressure to leave the Middle East.
“It could get very ugly there,” Klare said.
Public safety officials in the United States are on high alert, including Massachusetts State Police.
“The Department’s Fusion Center will continue to coordinate with federal law enforcement partners to monitor incoming intelligence and will share any relevant information with public safety agencies throughout the state,” spokesman Dave Procopio said.
Meanwhile, the escalation of violence has got area residents involved. On Saturday, a “Rally for Iraq” vigil has been planned in front of the Hampshire Courthouse in Northampton at 11 a.m., continuing a longstanding effort begun by the Northampton Committee to Lift the Sanctions and Stop the Bombing on Iraq that first formed in 1998.
The local rally will take on a new urgency in pushing to reduce the thousands of American troops stationed in the Middle East, opposing war with and sanctions on Iran, and to stop bombings in Iraq, which, according to Northampton activist Claudia Lefko, has become a predictable policy for every American president for the past 28 years.
Lefko said having the rally is critical because there is fear among many Iraqis she’s in touch with. “My colleagues in Baghdad are bracing for the worst, and in agony,” Lefko said Friday.
Jeff Napolitano, director of the Resistance Center for Peace and Justice, said he is sending an email blast to get people to turn out to draw attention to Trump’s actions. The rally will be part of an organized effort across the country where the Resistance Center joins other groups, including the ANSWER Coalition, CODEPINK and Veterans for Peace.
Napolitano said he wants people to understand that killing Soleimani could lead to a catastrophic situation that might make the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq seem like child’s play by comparison, in part because Iran has influence in Yemen and Lebanon and alliances with Russia and China.
“This is potentially disastrous, even if it doesn’t become a world war,” Napolitano said.
For Napolitano, the timing of the airstrikes seems like a way for Trump to distract from impeachment proceedings. “If this isn’t a ‘wag the dog’ moment, then I don’t know what is,” he said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
