Despite This Terrible War, We Must Never Lose Sight of the Value of Each and Every Precious Shipping Container
“Three cargo vessels have been hit by ‘unknown projectiles’ in the Strait of Hormuz, maritime authorities say, as pressure intensifies on one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. Traffic through the strait, a vital corridor for oil, has fallen sharply since Israel and the US attacked Iran in late February.” — BBC
As the United States unleashes the destructive force of our incredible military power on our longtime enemy (and anyone else who happens to be around), we must remain mindful that Iran is not some abstract boogeyman. Iran is a real place. It is full of real people. And those people and that place are adjacent to a narrow seaway that is vital to international trade. And that seaway is full of real, beautiful, complex, fragile shipping containers.
In the fog of war, it can be easy to lose sight of the true victims of these endless attacks on the countries and people of the Middle East: shipping containers. Every bomb we drop, every missile we launch, we put at risk thousands of shipping containers.
Think of the carnage. Fresh fruits and vegetables rotting in the ports, produce that could have been used to feed any Iranian children who may happen to survive the war. Supply-chain disruptions, leading to shelves still packed with our favorite num nums and doodads, but maybe fewer of them. Untold barrels of crude that will never have the chance to be appropriated by US oil companies.
It’s so tragic when innocent shipping containers are treated as the unfortunate but inevitable collateral damage in a war that a nation with a recent history of state-sanctioned murder of peaceful protestors, a terrible record of mistreating women, and a tendency toward authoritarianism is waging against Iran.
A heartbreaking war like this has so many moving parts. We must strive never to forget the most important parts at its heart: shipping containers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, revenue moving onto corporations’ balance sheets, and profit moving into CEOs’ offshore bank accounts.
However, taking a more ethical, reasoned approach to the war isn’t just about oil and profits. This is about proceeding with a deeper understanding of the full context and consequences of our actions. Iran is so much more than just a foreign adversary in whose government the U.S. has repeatedly tried to intervene. Iran is more than just a nation that persistently makes us very salty when its US-supported coups don’t work out the way we want them to. If we don’t take care to avoid the mistakes of history, we could end up repeating them, stuck with yet another Iranian leadership that doesn’t respect our cherished values, like shipping-container sanctity.
That’s why I support the Trump administration’s strategy to kill as many people as it takes to secure a bright and prosperous future for each and every beautiful and precious shipping container.