can we still cajole countries into cooperation? 😬☮️🤞🏾

Iran's involvement has made the current geopolitical situation more complicated, and it makes little sense to me why anyone would provoke them, unless, of course, someone is thinking world war three would distract the world from solving the essential conflict between Palestine and Israel—but anywho, the attack by Iran was not lethal; it was more about sending a signal to Israel—Iran announced it five hours in advance, allowing Israel to remove high-value assets from vulnerable bases.

but what’s not a sustainable financial equation is the US and Israel spending billions of dollars shooting down Iran’s drones (OUR hard-earned TAX 💸DOLLARS), which is perhaps one of the messages Iran was trying to send—the information about the attack is not complete, but it seems like Iran used three types of ballistic missiles: one of them is pretty advanced—a warhead that separates and fires a burst of decoys designed to absorb Iron Dome missiles and work their way to the Israeli air defense system, sort of like a shotgun effect of bombs: the other rocket had a warhead with a booster engine that appeared to separate from the body and fly at high speed, perhaps avoiding radar intercept, and this was Iran not using their best weapons.

the good news is that Iran doesn’t seem like it wants to fight in a war. It’s preoccupied with the Shanghai cooperation, BRICS, improving relations with Saudi Arabia, and economic prosperity. war with Israel disrupts their entire agenda. global opinions about Israel and Palestine are changing. More people are discussing Palestinian statehood, rebuilding peace and security, and one or two state solutions, and both Hamas and Israel releasing hostages and any prisoners held illegally or without due process…a war with Iran would be a significant distraction from pursuing peace and solutions, but fortunately for all of us, Iran seems patient and mature, but who knows how long that will last?

ppl who have not previously paid much attention to politics are becoming more aware of the intricate dance of diplomacy, power, corruption, and human consequences, and that there should be a responsibly disciplined, civil, self-controlled way to respond to violence—so now is an excellent time for restraint and de-escalation…the world right now has one too many meaningless conflicts and un-winnable wars: Khartoum, Sudan, Russia-Ukraine, Yemen, Myanmar, Haiti, Syria, Afghanistan, and the ongoing strife in the Sahel region, and many more.

sadly, not every government is equipped with enough cooperative political-diplomatic leaders. The kind of leadership we need now is the type that orchestrated the Economic Recovery Act of 1948, aka the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt war-torn Europe and forged a lasting alliance among Western nations. There’s many examples of reconciliation and diplomacy throughout history, pick and choose, but, most importantly, that’s the vibe we need right now. 🕊️

most people want to return to building peace and security and liberty—none of us wanna prep for a nuclear Armageddon or another world war…I mean, how many of us have a few hundred million stashed to build an underground bunker like Zuck? and side note: many say World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones. most people I know want peace, truth, integrity, and eliminating warmongering, and anyone with common sense can recognize that this war can escalate and get out of control, which is probably what President Joe Biden said when he called the G7. ☎️

If Iran gets hit again, and fires back, some say America may consider intervening, and if things escalate, that could potentially mean: US bases overrun in Iraq, the embassy may be lost, the US expelled from Syria, and many bases in the Persian Gulf could be destroyed—many US bases are only a few minutes away from Iranian missiles, and the other nations who host those bases will be seen as partners in crime. If oil and gas installations are destroyed, that’s when we could see a global economic catastrophe. So the USA must calm Netanyahu down, but it seems like Netanyahu prefers to expand the war to find a root to victory or cause a larger war to escape defeat.

the question in my mind now is: how long will it take for key governments to realize that using words as much as muscle is better? And as I listen to the new Future, Weeknd and Metro Boomin record, I wonder if we’ll be able to trust each other again—the power of rhetoric versus military strength has been evident in international relations, especially when we consider historical instances such as the Cold War, where propaganda and diplomatic negotiations played a critical role as much as actual military might. 💪🏽

In these uncertain times, we need the symphony of soft power more than ever to prevent civilization from falling into chaos. Bottom line: more war, more conflict, just means we all lose. Diplomacy and cooperation is how to improve societies. In Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky says, “the darker the night, the brighter the stars,” and I hope that represents the best of humanity being unleashed during these troubling times. May the Lord guide us, help us move with caution and conviction, and protect us from evil leaders going nuclear, and may everyone experience peace, justice, and real equality. ♥️🌙