In his address to the nation, the US president Donald Trump said he would bomb Iran back to the Stone Age, “where they belong”. He even threatened to destroy “electric generating plants”.
What will this mean for the most vulnerable — the elderly, hospital patients, and newborns in intensive care?
Historian and political theorist Achille Mbembe coined the term “death-worlds”, where the powerful impose conditions on populations amounting to a living death.
Mbembe writes: “The ultimate expression of sovereignty largely resides in the power and capacity to dictate who is able to live and who must die.” Gaza is a notable example.
Did we forget that shortly after 9/11, some 60,000 fans at a soccer match in Iran observed a minute of silence for the victims? That huge crowd in Tehran held candlelit vigils, reflecting solidarity and compassion.
We must reject Trump’s dehumanising rhetoric, reclaim our shared humanity, and choose diplomacy over destruction. — Terry Hansen, Wisconsin
