The winds of change are blowing across Iran, and unlike the missed opportunities of past Republican establishments, this time the conditions are ripe for the Iranian people to finally throw off the shackles of their oppressive regime.
Back in 1991, President George H.W. Bush had every opportunity to march into Baghdad, topple Saddam Hussein, and liberate the Iraqi people from decades of tyranny. The military tools were all there, ready to go. Oppressed minorities like the Kurds - who had suffered chemical weapon attacks that killed thousands - were desperate to fight alongside American forces.
But Bush Sr. pulled back. The establishment didn't have the stomach to finish the job, leaving the Iraqi people to suffer under Saddam's boot for another twelve years until his son finally completed the mission.
Why Iran Is Different
Here's what makes Iran's situation fundamentally different: the Iranian people have been actively resisting their government for years, not just hoping for outside intervention. From the 2009 Green Revolution to the recent protests over hijab mandates, Iranians have shown they're willing to bleed for freedom.
Unlike Iraq under Saddam, where opposition was brutally suppressed into silence, Iranian civil society has maintained a persistent resistance movement. Women are literally dying in the streets for the right to show their hair. Students are facing down regime thugs. Workers are striking despite facing imprisonment.
"The Iranian people have something the Iraqis never had - a sustained, grassroots movement that refuses to be silenced," one Middle East analyst noted.
More importantly, President Trump's approach to Iran has been completely different from the Bush dynasty's nation-building fantasies. Trump understands that America's role isn't to invade and occupy, but to support freedom fighters and apply maximum pressure on the regime through sanctions and diplomatic isolation.
The Trump administration's 'Maximum Pressure' campaign has already crippled Iran's economy and isolated the mullahs internationally. Now, with four more years to tighten the screws, the regime's days are numbered.
The question isn't whether the Iranian people will overthrow their oppressors - it's how quickly Trump can help them get it done without spilling American blood. That's the kind of America First foreign policy that actually works.