In today’s world, where diplomacy seems to be the lost art of civilization, let’s talk about what’s happening over in Iran. Retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg has some thoughts that have the potential to shake things up—if anyone’s paying attention, that is. The conversation sort of hinges around the idea that when peace talks fail, sometimes you just need to trade those real estate negotiation skills for someone who’s not afraid to, shall we say, play hardball. It’s kind of remarkable that in the year 2023, we’re still talking about how to make a deal with folks halfway around the world who would rather talk in missiles than in words.
General Kellogg sets the stage with a heartfelt nod to the soldiers who paid the ultimate price. This humble gesture is important because it’s easy to get caught up in strategies and forget there are real people whose lives hang in the balance. But before anyone dusts off the negotiation table, it’s time to get real: according to Kellogg, the current team might need to swap out their loafers for combat boots. It’s almost refreshing to hear someone suggest this unpretentiously. A tough-as-nails negotiator may just be what the doctor ordered, someone who’s not shy about making difficult decisions from the trenches instead of behind a desk adorned with fine mahogany.
Once the table is set with the right players, Kellogg doesn’t mince words about keeping rogue nations on their toes. It’s not just about swooping in from the sky with airstrikes, though those are sort of like the dramatic punctuation marks in the long essay we hope history won’t remember us by. The General sees ground action as a necessary evil—albeit a strategic and calculated one. Take a couple of Iranian islands, Kellogg suggests, not because we fancy prime beach real estate, but because controlling these locations gives Uncle Sam the kind of leverage even poker players dream of during their afternoon naps.
The plot thickens when Kellogg mentions lending a hand to the Iranian revolutionaries. No, not the kind of revolutionaries that dress up in historical garb and dump tea into harbors, but the modern-day kind who wouldn’t object to a little help overthrowing their own government. If this sounds like déjà vu of previous Middle Eastern engagements, well, that’s because it is. Only this time, he suggests that there might be a bit more finesse involved, a plan not made up on the fly but thought out like a well-played game of chess.
And then there’s the pep talk for the grand finale. While detractors always seem to find their voice at the most inconvenient times, Kellogg reminds the Commander-in-Chief of his role as the ‘guide-on-the-side’ for the American public. With a stirring, almost idealistic optimism, he insists that the President just needs to spell out why this matters—not just for them, but for their children’s children. It’s a vision looking far beyond the immediate dust of conflict, towards a world that hopefully won’t have too many ‘lessons learned from history’ moments. In the end, if this military advice sounds like it’s straight out of a classic adventure novel, perhaps it’s time someone took note and dog-eared a few pages.
