This is the most incompetent, incoherent war America has fought in the last 100 years. And that’s saying a lot. This administration has no idea what they are doing. There is no viable war plan. They change their goals and their aims every single day.
I have great sympathy for our soldiers and our military leaders. They are being given directions by a senile old man who is losing his mind. And so, it’s no surprise that this war is going horribly.
As an American citizen, I can tell you that the current administration’s actions are completely divorced from public consensus and desire for war. The unfortunate reality is that our representation at the federal level is so diluted and insignificant that no amount of public polling would change the administration’s mind (and as a matter of personal opinion, I think the midterms may not be able to course correct the ship either at this point). You only need to look at the impunity of ICE’s actions as a simple frame of reference.
Granted, I am a college educated person in a more “left leaning” state of the country, and have enough research and context about this situation to know that these actions are not rational nor beneficial for our geopolitical or national interests. That isn’t the case for the majority of the nation, unfortunately.
There are plenty of people who are able to be influenced, either through well-funded media campaigns or with the allure of being able to benefit from the situation (such as those who work for the military industrial complex and the AI companies who will have a field day selling lethal autonomous software to the DoD). Many will be more than happy to turn a blind eye to the suffering that will be borne by the soldiers involved, the civilians involved, and international disruptions to trade and stability for personal gain or blissful ignorance.
Even for those who have a sense of compassion for their fellow human beings, there’s simply a lot on their plate that pulls their attention away from the war. Those who can afford to be politically active have little incentive to do so, and those who would like to see deescalation cannot afford to be politically active.
I completely empathize with those who do not side with this current war of aggression. Just keep in mind that “siding with America” in this context is with the Federal Government and perhaps a portion of Congress, not with the average citizen or even a majority of US states. If Pacifica/Cascadia became an option for us west coasters, it might be worth taking nowadays.
Even Iran gets this though. They always phrase their press releases “The American Regime” this or that. You’re hitting the nail on the head though. The propaganda is working on the masses while the rest of us watch in horror.