A Citizen’s Plea: America Must Choose Peace Before It Is Too Late My name is Jonathan Wilkie. I am an American citizen, a taxpayer, and a voter. After taking a brief break from writing to help my former wife through a personal crisis, I have returned to the issue that now weighs most heavily on my mind: the direction of my own country. Only a short time ago I was writing about Albania and the courage of ordinary citizens standing up for what they believed. Today, however, my attention has been forced back home. I live in the United States, and I believe our nation is approaching a dangerous crossroads. I supported Donald Trump in the last presidential election because I believed he would pursue policies that put America first and avoid unnecessary foreign wars. From my perspective, recent events have left me deeply disappointed. I fear that expanding military conflict with Iran risks drawing the United States into another costly and unpredictable war. What concerns me most is not politics for its own sake. It is the human cost. A close personal friend of mine is a retired U.S. Army Green Beret who lives every day with chronic PTSD. His sacrifices remind me that every military decision ultimately falls upon the shoulders of sons and daughters who wear the uniform. Before any nation commits itself to another conflict, we owe those men and women the most serious consideration possible. History has taught us that wars often become much larger than anyone expected. Escalation has consequences that cannot always be controlled. In a world possessing advanced weapons and global alliances, mistakes can affect every nation on Earth. As someone who lived through the Vietnam era and received a draft notice in 1966, I cannot help asking a simple question: How many more wars must we fight before we devote the same determination to rebuilding our own nation? America needs modern bridges, roads, transportation systems, scientific advancement, education, and renewed investment in its own citizens. Around the world we see remarkable infrastructure projects demonstrating what sustained national investment can accomplish. We should ask ourselves whether our priorities best serve the American people. I also believe every administration, regardless of party, deserves scrutiny regarding how taxpayer dollars are spent and how foreign policy decisions are made. Citizens have both the right and the responsibility to ask difficult questions of their government. That is not disloyalty; it is one of the foundations of a constitutional republic. My hope is that our leaders pursue diplomacy whenever possible and reserve military action for circumstances where it is absolutely necessary. Peace is not weakness. Wisdom is not surrender. Restraint is not defeat. The United States has overcome enormous challenges throughout its history because its people have repeatedly chosen courage, honesty, and common sense over fear and anger. I still believe we are capable of making that choice again. The stakes today extend far beyond politics. They involve the future of our children, our military families, our allies, and indeed the stability of the world itself. As one American citizen among millions, I simply ask that our leaders remember whom they serve—and that they place the preservation of peace among their highest responsibilities.
Jonathan P Wilkie
Jonathanwilkie.academia.edu
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