US-Israeli war on Iran makes a mockery of global governance rules

Governance is about checks and balance by rules, self-restraint or simply a humble appreciation that waging “forever wars” often ends up in self-destruction. War is such an extreme and costly measure it should only be undertaken after careful deliberation, domestic support and international endorsement, with clearly defined goals, operational costs and benefits, as well as a coherent exit strategy.

Given the murky fog of war from misinformation and disinformation, a few historical insights frame the future within blurry boundaries.

First, regime change using only air power rarely succeeded, either in the second world war or Vietnam wars. As experience with Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi showed, you merely replace an autocrat with a chaotic regime, with little chance of well-functioning democratic outcomes. Good governance doesn’t happen overnight – it requires long consultations and farsighted leaders to agree on a way forward.