Deescalation needed as Iran Israel conflict shows signs of spiralling out of control
The escalation of tensions in the Middle East should concern everyone who values human life. The sabre rattling of US President Donald Trump is adding fuel to an already raging fire. Pouring fuel onto the flames is dangerous for the whole world.
In contrast, the British Prime Minister has tried to keep a calm head, rightly favouring deescalation instead because Sir Keir Starmer knows what the humanitarian cost of a full scale war with Iran is.
The PM has done well to win favour with the US President, who seems intent on picking fights across the globe, including with long-standing Western allies.
The legacy that Trump seems to want is that of a tough guy who bends the world to his will but the world is a far more complex place than the binary lens that the US President sees it through.
If Sir Keir is able to use his influence with the US President to bring about a deescalation then that would really be to his credit as there is a feeling that Trump is out of control, even to some of his own supporters.
Western powers need to remember lessons from the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The scars from the invasion, on the premise of the existence of weapons of mass destruction, are still visible.
It turned the whole of the Middle East upside down, consequences of which are being felt to this day.
Those calling for a regime change have failed to articulate a vision of what happens next.
The key issue here is the unfolding humanitarian crisis. It is in everyone’s interests for the rockets to stop flying.