The isolationist 'woke right' must understand that the threat from Iran knows no borders

In the debate over the United States' stance against Iran, both a small but vociferous sector of conservatives, commonly known as the right wing woke, and the extreme left - currents that are becoming more similar by the day - agree that Washington should not get involved because the Iranians do not attack US soil.

While radical leftists do so based on their usual anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist diatribes and the various theories that see oppressors and oppressed everywhere, right-wing Wokists like Tucker Carlson argue that they do so because they put America first.

This argument, however, ignores fundamental strategic realities and Iran's track record of global destabilization.

Iran does not need to attack US soil to be a threat

The Iranian regime has repeatedly demonstrated that its confrontational strategy does not require direct attacks inside the United States to pose a real danger to its interests. Through its network of militias, funding of terrorist groups and destabilization operations in the Middle East and beyond, Iran directly impacts global security, the economy and the stability of key U.S. allies, unless one believes that Washington does not need allies.

That vacuum that would be left by the United States, if the extreme isolationist policies of the right-wing woke are implemented, would be exploited by enemies of Washington and the free world in general, such as China, Russia and Iran, among others, who would not hesitate to take their place and make alliances to take down the most powerful country in the world at a speed they could never have imagined, and perhaps, already empowered, could even carry out direct attacks on US soil.

Geopolitics is not static. The fact that Iran and the rest of America's enemies cannot generate greater damage is unrelated to their intentions, as they desire the death of the Great Satan, as the Iranian regime calls the United States, and the Little Satan, which is how Iran's ayatollahs refer to Israel.

As mentioned, Iran poses a threat to the United States for several reasons:

State-sponsored terrorism: Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism, backing groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, Islamist militias in Iraq, etc., which have attacked US and allied interests.

Attacks against troops and diplomats: over the years, Iran has orchestrated attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, and has been responsible for attacks against embassies and citizens abroad.

Threat to world trade: recent Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea have raised the cost of shipping, affecting the global economy and thus the United States.

Nuclear and ballistic program: Iran continues to develop its nuclear program and long-range missiles, posing a danger not only to the Middle East, but to the entire world.

Challenge to US hegemony: as mentioned, allowing Iran to operate without restrictions undermines US influence in the region and strengthens actors such as China and Russia, which seek to displace US leadership.

The responsibility of the United States as a global power

The argument for non-intervention is based on a myopic view of national security. History has shown that ignoring emerging threats outside the national territory does not prevent them from eventually affecting the US directly.

From Pearl Harbor to the 9/11 attacks, major crises have arisen when an external threat has been underestimated.

Geopolitics requires smart, long-range measures

The United States must contain the Iranian threat before its consequences are even more costly. Posts on X or Instagram applauding extreme isolationism will not be able to defend us then.

To say the words is very simple, demanding that wars cease is a desire of the vast majority of people in the free world, but it is necessary to be responsible and not fall into extreme demagoguery to gain followers or to show oneself as anti-establishment from the comfort of the West while there are so many people dying in defense of the free world, because the vast majority of Westerners do not want to live under a communist or Islamist dictatorship.

It should be noted that Trump's policy of prioritizing ending wars is positive. However, he knows that it must be applied intelligently and with the long term in mind, as he understands that its implementation must not mean suicide.