US President Donald Trump said last week he wanted to chose Iran’s next leader. That pretty much guaranteed that those still in power there would chose an Islamic hardliner.

Certainly there is no movement towards democracy. The regime is unlikely to support any suggestions of political reform while being attacked

Oil prices have risen drastically since the American bombing began. The effects are already being felt at the gasoline pumps around the world. The impact on food prices will be just as dramatic, but you won’t notice them for a while yet.

When it is all over, will anyone think it was worth it?

Higher prices are annoying for those who have. Food inflation has more impact on the poor who can’t absorb the price increases and food shortages on the horizon.

Even more concerning may be the death toll. How do you justify bombing a school and killing children in their classes? Calling it collateral damage cheapens human life. How many thousands will die before the shooting stops? Will anything have changed once it is over?

We tell our children that two wrongs don’t make a right. Do we still believe that? Using violence against violent regimes is rarely going to produce positive results. History has taught us that. But who pays attention to history these days?

Are the current hostilities rooted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that saw the overthrow of the Shah? Or are they rooted in the CIA orchestrated coup that ousted Iran’s Prime Minister? Or in something else?

The 1953 coup was all about American oil interests. Is the current conflict also oil related? Who will control Iran’s resources when the dust settles?

Given what happened in Venezuela just a couple of months ago, the answer seems obvious.