In a stroke of genius move, professor Obama (I mean president Obama) taught the Republican led Congress that diplomacy is the way to go to resolve international standoffs; it is less costly: no need to sacrifice the lives of our young men and women in uniform, no need to empty the taxpayers’ pockets to fund wars, senseless wars. Republicans are not happy; they’d rather flunk the Diplomacy course. Maybe it’s time to kick them all out of the class (I mean Washington).

The Nuclear Agreement between Iran and the six nations, known as P5+1 (US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China) led by the United States is a big deal; in fact, it is a very big deal. If you are in Washington however, you wouldn’t think so. Whether in opposition to everything Obama or to simply put in display where their allegiance lies (not the US apparently), the Republican led congress is in overdrive, deploying all its resources to setup roadblocks along the way to prevent the Obama administration from succeeding.

Without delving into the details of the agreement (incidentally unknown to all those going around voicing their opposition to the agreement; those details are not even fleshed out by the P5+1 nations), the agreement will have mechanism in place to prevent Iran from acquiring materials to build nuclear weapons and call for Iran to put out of commission any and all materials and equipment not used for peaceful purpose. One very important aspect of the agreement we all know of is unprecedented access to Iran’s nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); in other words, the agency can conduct inspection anytime without prior notice to the Iranian government, surprise visit so to speak.

You don’t have to be a diplomat or a nuclear physicist to grasp that it is much better for all parties to have diplomacy agreement over the Iran nuclear issue than going to war, wouldn’t you say? Well, if you listen to the Republican Representatives in Washington, their interests seem to align more so with Netanyahu (Israel Prime minister) than the United States. Speaker John Boehner left no ambiguity as to where his allegiances are when he invited Netanyahu to influence US international policy regarding that matter.

For over a decade now, Netanyahu has been campaigning and pushing for a war with Iran; ironically, Mr. Netanyahu feels comfortable using our servicemen’s lives as bargaining chips and US taxpayers’ money to fund the war he so desperately wants to have with Iran. Never mind that the US sends $3 billion (with a B) of taxpayers’ hard earned money to Israel every year, what’s difficult to comprehend is the Republicans’ rationale attempt to drag United States on a path to war with Iran instead of supporting the diplomacy effort by the Obama administration.

In almost all issues, the country is divided into three major groups, i) the Republicans who oppose everything Obama irrespective of the perceived benefits stemming from it ii) the Democrats who support most everything Obama; however, contrary to the Republicans who have just one behavior towards the president, Democrats do change their position on issues they don’t see eye to eye with the president iii) the third group comprises those who care very little or not at all, those who are tired of politics, those who don’t get involved in politics, those who do not vote, those who simply do not care. All three groups contribute very little to helping the country move forward. In fact, those three groups are responsible for the problems in Washington; at the very least, they help perpetuate those problems.

It’s fair and appropriate to ask the obvious questions, what exactly do Republicans want for the country? Is going to war a permanent affair for the party? Who benefits? What do we, as citizens of the United States, gain when the country is marred in wars? Why are the Republican elected officials in Washington so eager to take the country to war? Most importantly, why do you, yes you, support that? There are two irrefutable facts when the country goes to war 1) our young men and women will inevitably be killed 2) taxpayers’ money is spent to fuel the war. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out those factors do not benefit the country. Who benefits?

As you rally behind the Republican party to oppose the initiative of “peaceful” diplomacy to resolve the Iran nuclear issue or to simply oppose it because it’s Obama’s initiative, ponder what’s best for the country; to follow talking heads, sound bites or to support diplomacy that resolves issues and brings peace without sacrificing the lives of our young men and women in uniform? That’s what the Iran nuclear agreement crafted by the P5+1 nations promises to deliver. It may not be perfect; in fact, we don’t expect it to be. But it’s better than the alternative; in fact, it’s much, much better than to drag our country into another war. Suffice to take a look back at the Iraq war to see what it is like to go to war, for no reason other than the whims of a few individuals.

It’s time you remove the blindfold over your head and look at the world with an objective mind; your kids’ future and your grandkids’ depend on it. A diplomatic containment of Iran nuclear capability is a much more desirable alternative than to engage into a war with no end in sight. Switch your party’s allegiance to your country’s allegiance. The Iran nuclear agreement is a giant step towards solving issues with diplomacy; it should be embraced; it should be supported and it is the right thing to do. Enough of the rhetoric! Enough already of the calls for war! The country needs diplomacy to resolve international issues. The Iran Nuclear Deal is a great start. The rhetoric from your Representatives in Washington and the sound bites from the talking heads (on the airwaves) are just the drumbeats of the 2016 presidential race. The world is changing but the United States audience is stuck in the 19^th century mentality. It is time we stop looking at the world from our selfish prism.

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