By: Rev. Peter Johnson
I don’t believe in war and never will. But one thing I learned a long time ago during the Civil Rights Movement is that getting into a fight is often easier than getting out of one. That lesson applies to nations as much as it applies to people.
This week, President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Iran that his supporters are calling a historic breakthrough. Perhaps it will be. Perhaps it will reduce violence and prevent a wider regional war. Every person of faith should pray for peace.
But peace built upon confusion is often temporary, and agreements reached after reckless decisions frequently leave ordinary people paying the bill. What troubles me most is not the agreement itself. What troubles me is how we arrived here.
The United States entered this conflict without a clearly articulated strategy. We heard threats. We heard deadlines. We heard promises of overwhelming force. We heard declarations that Iran must surrender. What we did not hear was a coherent explanation of what victory looked like, how it would be achieved, and what would happen after the shooting stopped.
That is not leadership. That is improvisation.
Now we have an agreement that reportedly includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, restoring maritime traffic, and future negotiations over issues that arguably should have been addressed before military action escalated. Questions remain about Iran’s nuclear program, regional militias, enforcement mechanisms, and the long-term stability of the arrangement. Even supporters acknowledge that many details remain unresolved. In other words, the hard work has not ended. It has just begun.
The American people have seen this movie before. Vietnam began with promises of quick success. Vietnam began with promises of quick success. Iraq began with promises of quick success. Afghanistan began with promises of quick success.
Each time, political leaders spoke confidently about military action. Each time, the American taxpayer eventually discovered that rebuilding, stabilizing, and managing the aftermath costs far more than launching the operation in the first place.
The greatest cost is never measured only in dollars. Military families carry the burden. Working families absorb higher prices. Communities suffer economic uncertainty. And future generations inherit debts created by decisions they never made.
Reports about the agreement suggest that economic concessions, reconstruction commitments, maritime arrangements, and future negotiations will become central issues in the months ahead. Critics across the political spectrum have already expressed concern that key provisions are vague and that enforcement remains uncertain.
That uncertainty should concern every American.
I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Luke 14:28: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost?”
Count the cost.
Those words apply to government as much as they apply to individuals. Before you start building, Count the cost. Before you start a war, Count the cost. Before you commit the nation to military action, Count the cost.
The tragedy is that America increasingly approaches foreign policy like a reality television show. There is always another dramatic announcement, another declaration of victory, another promise that everything has been solved.
But governing is not entertainment. Lives are at stake. The global economy is at stake. America’s credibility is at stake. And peace itself is at stake.
I pray this agreement succeeds. I pray the guns fall silent. I pray no more mothers bury daughters and sons, and no more children grow up in the shadow of war.
But praying for peace does not require us to ignore reality. Real leadership demands foresight. Real leadership demands accountability. Real leadership demands a strategy before the first missiles are launched, not after the diplomats arrive.
The question Americans should be asking is simple: If this agreement contains the framework for negotiations, concessions, and long-term diplomacy, why were those objectives not fully pursued before the conflict escalated? That question deserves an answer. Because if history teaches us anything, it is this: nations that enter wars without a strategy often leave them with an invoice. And sooner or later, somebody has to pay it. Unfortunately, that somebody is usually the American people. So, why did we go to war in the first place?
Rev. Peter Jerome Johnson, was the youngest staff member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference under Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. An alum of Southern University, he founded the Peter Johnson Institute on Nonviolence.
