After American forces killed Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, I thought we were going to war with a China-Russia-Iran coalition. As tensions mounted and Iran threatened retaliation, I considered joining the military.

This was an odd feeling. I haven't considered military service since my ASVAB score drew interest from AF, Navy, AMCOM. Free, delayed college was tempting. This was after 9/11 (peak patriotism), before Iraq. Luckily, I chose to pay for college and avoided over a decade of wars.

By March, prospects of a new war with a China-Russia-Iran coalition gave way to a fear-mongering overreaction to a low-fatality pandemic. Americans, already divided in an election year, turned against each other.

This summer, I became more isolationist than ever.

This see-saw of fight/flight forced me to confront something. If I looked back pessimistically on Bush/Obama wars, how could I logically justify a Trump war? What did I feel was worth dying for in January? What legacy would I want etched on my grave?

The answer: America First

I believed (and still do) that Soleimani's assassination was a strategic elimination of a foreign threat to millions of people. It wasn't a Cold War move to install a friendly dictator. It wasn't an "arbitrary" drone strike. He was a genocidal monster, and the world is safer now.

It was unsurprising that China, Russia, Syria (and the Western media) condemned the assassination, even in light of the thankful voices from the Middle East, particularly within Iran itself.

However, the message was clear: Legitimate threats to American lives will be neutralized

How was he a threat to American lives?

Soleimani's influence was profound. He supported Assad in Syria, Shia militias in Iraq, Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hezbollah everywhere, etc...all threats to regional stability.

He was a powerful obstacle to peace in the Middle East.

As an isolationist, I don't actually care about regional stability in the Middle East. As much as I yearn for global democracy, I won't die for another country's freedom.

Unfortunately, isolating from the source of terrorism does not diminish its threat. https://www.nationalreview.com/2016/09/middle-east-united-states-foreign-policy-isolationism/

Any persistent threat to the stability of a region that has bred terrorists for decades represents a threat to American safety, especially with historic competitors like Russia and China lobbying against us via proxy wars.

Soleimani was such a threat. There will be others.

Am I still willing to die in Persian sand to protect the freedoms and safety of American citizens?

Not anymore.

This year's riots by coddled leftists demanding less security answered that question for me. I won't die to protect Americans who hate America.

There will be another war soon, but I won't take part in it unless America is invaded. Until then, I won't bleed for people who aren't even willing to work.

My new foreign policy is Family First, because strong families build strong nations.

After all, they built this one.