America's Proxy Wars Invite Inevitable Retaliation from Adversaries
Source: Joseph Addington. "In Iran, Russia Pays America Back for Aiding Ukraine - The American Conservative." March 26, 2026. www.theamericanconservative.com
The Gist
The author argues that America shouldn't be surprised that Russia is helping Iran attack U.S. forces, since we've been openly helping Ukraine fight Russia. When you wage proxy wars against other countries, they'll wage proxy wars back against you, and this cycle hurts everyone.
Conclusion
The U.S. should end its proxy wars (particularly against Russia via Ukraine support) because they inevitably provoke retaliation that harms American interests and global stability
Premises
- Russia is retaliating against U.S. proxy support for Ukraine by helping Iran target American forces in the Middle East
- European nations supporting Ukraine are experiencing Russian sabotage campaigns as direct retaliation for their proxy war participation
- The U.S. openly provides military aid to Ukraine and takes credit for killing Russian generals, making Russian retaliation predictable
- America's current wars (Iran and proxy war against Russia) are causing massive economic damage, draining military resources, and destabilizing global markets
- Historical U.S. actions against Iran (1953 coup, supporting the Shah, backing Iraq's invasion) created the current adversarial relationship
- Even superpowers face consequences for their actions and cannot act without expecting retaliation
- Trump rejected a Russian offer for mutual proxy disarmament, missing an opportunity to de-escalate
Assumptions
- Proxy wars inevitably lead to counter-proxy responses from targeted nations
- Russia views the Ukraine conflict as existential and will respond proportionally to Western involvement
- American interests are better served by diplomatic solutions than military confrontation with nuclear powers
- The costs of current military engagements outweigh their strategic benefits
- Historical grievances significantly influence current international relationships