By Susan E. Rice, Opinion, Jan.4, 2019<\/p>\n
One thing is clear after the killing of Iran\u2019s second most important official: Americans are not safer.<\/em><\/p>\n Americans would be wise to brace for war with Iran.<\/p>\n Full-scale conflict is not a certainty, but the probability is higher than at any point in decades. Despite President Trump\u2019s oft-professed desire to avoid war with Iran and withdraw from military entanglements in the Middle East, his decision to order the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran\u2019s second most important official, as well as Iraqi leaders of an Iranian-backed militia, now locks our two countries in a dangerous escalatory cycle that will likely lead to wider warfare.<\/p>\n How did we get here? What are the consequences of these targeted killings? Can we avoid a worse-case scenario?<\/p>\n The escalatory cycle began in May 2018, when President Trump recklessly ignored the advice of his national security team and the opposition of our allies in unilaterally withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal \u2014 despite Iran\u2019s full adherence<\/a> to its terms and its efficacy in rolling back Iran\u2019s nuclear program. Since then, the Trump administration has had no coherent strategy to constrain Iran\u2019s program or to counter other aspects of its nefarious behavior.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump\u2019s \u201cmaximum pressure campaign\u201d to impose ever more debilitating economic sanctions did not force Iran to capitulate; instead, predictably, it induced Tehran to lash out with a series of increasingly bold military provocations against Sunni Arab and Western targets while restarting important aspects<\/a> of its nuclear program. Iran\u2019s destabilizing activities in the region, notably in Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, have only intensified. At the same time, it has conducted a brutal crackdown on its civilian population. None of the Trump administration\u2019s stated objectives have been met; if anything, the United States\u2019 security and strategic positions in the region have weakened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n