War

The effect on domestic politics

I cancelled the post I was going to send this morning.

Instead, I want to make clear that yesterday’s attack on Iran and any future military decisions will change American domestic politics.

War deepens emotional loyalties and expands government authority. Citizens will expect, perhaps even approve, limits on speech and action that criticize the government. Their reasons for voting and partisanship will change.

Opposition to the war will be met by an equally extreme reaction. Present domestic economic and social conflicts will receive less or no attention while becoming more critical as they remain unresolved.

There is no doubt about the powerful effect of the mega-bombs we dropped on Iran, Simultaneously, we have dropped a weapon of equal power on domestic politics. Its effect is far less certain, but possibly no less powerful.