By Dr. Ashraf Zainabi
We know you are a world superpower. We request you to understand your responsibilities and move the world beyond wars.
I hope this letter finds you well, by which I mean alive, awake, and not currently declaring another war before breakfast. I also hope it finds you seated comfortably, because history suggests that whenever you stand up suddenly, something international tends to happen, mostly not good for the planet and its people.
Donald, I write to you not as an enemy, nor as a supporter, not as a war expert, nor as a person deserving or begging for a Nobel Prize for peace, but as a concerned bystander, someone watching a man juggle chainsaws while explaining that gravity is a hoax.
You see, the world has noticed a pattern. Whenever things get complicated, you simplify them. Sometimes too much. For example, diplomacy is complex, so you replace it with volume. International law is tedious, so you substitute instinct. Nuance is exhausting, so you tweet.
And yet, Donald, I admire your confidence. Truly. It takes remarkable self-belief to assume that centuries of history, geography, culture, and human suffering can all be fixed with one decisive strike, preferably before lunch.
Take Iran an example. A civilization older than most buildings in Washington. A country with layers upon layers of memory, pride, grievance, and resilience. And the solution being considered is well a “very strong message.”
Donald, I once sent a very strong message to my neighbour by slamming my door. He responded by slamming his. We both are now at war. Our cats are casualties. This is how things escalate.
You may believe that striking leaders brings peace. History believes otherwise. Recent examples are Iraq and Libya. History is annoying like that. It keeps interrupting great ideas with inconvenient outcomes. Further, Iran is neither Iraq of 2004 nor Libya of 2011. Please revisit your plans for greater good of this planet.
Also, about regime change, Donald, you should know this, regimes do not fall because outsiders ask them politely, threaten loudly, or bomb selectively. They fall when their own soldiers stop listening. Iran’s soldiers are not doing that. In fact, they seem to be listening very carefully. This is not encouraging for your plans.
It is like, you want to knock down a door by slamming it, remember you will hurt your foot, as the doors hinges are strong and won’t bend by your slamming, the Iran’s defense forces are its hinges.
I worry that you may be confusing noise with control. Loudness does not equal dominance. Fireworks are loud too. They are also brief and followed by smoke, confusion, and people asking, “Was that really necessary?”. Your advisers say a strike would be “limited.” History laughs whenever humans say the word “limited.” Wars begin limited the way snacks begin limited. No one plans to eat the whole packet. It just happens.
Donald, you are standing near a room full of gasoline, holding a matchstick explaining that you only want a little light. This is not reassurance. This is a physics problem.
I know you believe strength means never backing down. But sometimes strength is sitting down. Or staying quiet. Or reading a map. Or realizing that winning an argument is different from surviving the consequences. Fall of Iran will have ripple effect across globe including Kashmir. We are afraid people of the world may collapse and that is not good.
The world does not need another demonstration of power. It needs a demonstration of restraint. Or at least a pause long enough for everyone to put down the missiles and pick up a cup of water. Please remember, empires don’t collapse because they hesitate. They collapse because they rush.
Yours sincerely,
A concerned citizen of planet earth who wishes it to remain habitable
Dr. Ashraf Zainabi is a teacher and researcher based in Gowhar Pora Chadoora J&K
25 February 2026
Source: countercurrents.org