The US's Inalienable Right to Violence

Media comments on US bombings and assassinations are premised on  the US's "right to" use violence to assert its will, anytime, anywhere. Conversely, corporate media coverage suggests that countermeasures are inherently illegitimate, criminal and/or terroristic. Pundits dusted off 13-year-old propaganda to rationalize killing Soleimani, grasping for any imperialist apologia. If the American public is led to believe that Soleimani killed hundreds of Americans, his assassination was justified.

The narrative shores up the US war on Iran in popular consciousness by presenting Iranians as violent savages spilling Americans' blood of those in the military in the Middle East, doing nothing but minding their own business. Presenting Iran as the reason for attacks on US forces in Iraq implies that Iraqis had little objection to the US invasion, legitimizing the US’s military presence.