Americans are debating the worth of this war. Thirteen soldiers have returned in caskets. Hundreds more bear wounds. No one takes this lightly. Especially not someone like me – who chose this country and wears its flag by choice, not by birth.
Born on the Iranian border and raised in the shadow of its conflicts, I have witnessed firsthand the impact of these policies on the region’s people. I continue to travel across the Middle East – I was recently in Erbil, Riyadh, and Dubai. I know what people say when the cameras are off. It’s not anger towards America; it’s relief.
But here’s what critics overlook: For millions across the Middle East, this conflict didn’t begin on February 28th. It started decades ago. What changed is that a president chose to stop merely managing the problem and began confronting it. The people of the region noticed. I assure you – they noticed.
What most Americans never hear is what these people truly desire. Not war. Not jihad. Not martyrdom. Across the Gulf, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, 140 million people are under 30. They want what any young American wants: a job, a stable country, and a future not held hostage by someone else’s ideology. New leaders in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kurdistan, and Syria are working towards precisely that. When I meet with young professionals in Erbil, Riyadh, or Dubai, they discuss startups. They discuss AI. They discuss opportunity.
And this isn’t mere theory. Observe what happens when stability takes root. The UAE was an empty desert 50 years ago; today, it’s a global commercial hub where millions, including Americans, live, invest, and build. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq, surrounded by hostile forces, developed one of the most open societies in the Middle East. It became the largest safe haven for persecuted Christians in the region. And despite a severe economic embargo by Iran-backed forces, Kurdistan established a stable, multibillion-dollar economy that hosts nearly all U.S. forces in Iraq. People relocate there because it functions. These places are not anomalies; they are glimpses of what the entire region can become.
The Middle East is not a burden. It is a region of extraordinary talent, ambition, and wealth, held back by a violent few who have never been weaker than they are now.
What consistently obstructs this progress is the same force: Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen – all receiving orders from Tehran, all impeding the future the rest of the region strives to build. For 45 years, one capital has exported instability to every corner of this region – not because Iranians desire it, but because a small circle of men in power profit from it.
The numbers speak for themselves. Since February 28th, Iran has attacked every country in the region that chose partnership with the West – and not one of them retaliated against Iran. The UAE has endured over 2,800 missiles and drones, resulting in thirteen deaths and over 200 wounded. Kurdistan has been struck more than 700 times, with fourteen dead – including a husband and wife killed at midnight, leaving two daughters behind. Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar – all attacked. None of them threatened Iran. Their only transgression is choosing a different future.
These forces have not only been destroying the Middle East; they have also been killing Americans for decades.
Every preceding president chose to avert their gaze. They downplayed the threat. They assured Americans it was under control. They left it for the next generation. But ignoring the Middle East always incurs a cost. Barack Obama withdrew from Iraq, and ISIS filled the vacuum. His nuclear deal channeled billions to Tehran and its proxy terror groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Joe Biden termed it strategic patience. That patience led to October 7th. The problem never vanished; it consistently worsened. This president made a different choice.
I grew up amidst this. I didn’t study it in a seminar. I know the sound of a missile hitting a neighborhood school. I know what families look like when they pack a car at 3 AM and drive towards the only city still standing. The fear across this region isn’t that America acted; it’s that the world will lose interest before any real change occurs.
The Middle East is not a burden. It is a region of extraordinary talent, ambition, and wealth, held back by a violent few who have never been weaker than they are now.
The people of this region have been imploring the world to listen for decades. Perhaps now, it will.
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