This response to the current bombing of Iran interrupts the miniseries on democracy with a perspective on foreign wars.

My faith in being human over being civilized derives from research I started in 2005 in response to threats of war with Iran.  Because I believe in humanity I believe that when properly informed citizens can achieve collective wisdom on issues rooted in principles of right and wrong.  However, groupthink replaces collective wisdom when authorities we trust misinform us.

The recent bombing of Iran (after claiming we “obliterated” their nuclear abilities last June) alienates even a segment of the MAGA movement.  They believed Trump, or I should say they believed their trusted political panderers and media pundits, when told America should not be involved in acts of aggression on foreign soil.  Libertarians, including those in MAGA, always advocate against foreign aggression.

I have done some quick research on casualties and the media climate for foreign wars going back to World War I.  Instead of my usual method of going through primary databases I used AI and search terms like “civilian casualties,” and “soldier casualties” to obtain those numbers.  I will not vouch for their accuracy and precision because of problems with AI research.  I do vouch for the validity of the overall trends.

WORLD WAR I
Civilian casualties: 6 – 13 million deaths
Military casualties: 9 million deaths  
Note:  Civilian casualty estimates vary greatly because of the simultaneous occurrence of the Spanish flu, a pandemic much like the recent Covid.  Likely the civilian war casualties fall closer to 6 million, but for the sake of looking at trends let us look at civilian and military casualties as roughly equal.
Media climate:  Radio and television, hence modern day mass media, did not exist yet.  There were modest newspaper media empires, but for the most part the news came from diverse sources and no echo chambers.
Citizen support:  No national polls existed at the time, but the electorate was known to be deeply divided.  A Gallup poll that came out in 1937 showed 70% thought WW I was a mistake.

WORLD WAR II
Civilian casualties:  38 – 55 million deaths
Military casualties:  20 – 25 million deaths (400,000 American)
Note:  Cited as the deadliest conflict in human history, WW II also featured a tipping point where civilian casualties significantly surpass those of the military with a ratio of around 2 to 1.
Media climate:  Mass media had arrived with the advent of radio.
Citizen support:  Only 8% supported going to war before the Pearl Harbor attack; 97% supported going to war after the attack.  The advent of mass media plus actually being invaded on our soil made a big difference.

VIETNAM WAR
Civilian casualties:  2 million deaths
Military casualties:  950,000 deaths (58,000 American)
Note:  The ratio of civilian to soldier deaths is again about 2 to 1 with all military, but closer to 35 to 1 compared to American military.
Media climate:  Television at this time mitigated some of the conforming aspects of mass media, when people were able to watch the horrors of war in their living rooms.  Local media had not yet started their decline, with reporting on how the war affected local communities.
Citizen support:  Gallup polls revealed support for the Vietnam War peaked at 64% in 1965, fueled by the reach of mass media and anti-communism sentiments.  By 1969 support dwindled to 30%, fueled by watching the horrors in living rooms and reading about tragedies in the local papers.

IRAQ WAR (2003)
Civilian casualties:  432,000 deaths.
Military casualties:  Over 22,000 deaths (4500 American).
Note: The ratio of civilians to military killed approaches 19 to 1, with a ratio of 36 civilians to one American soldier.
Media climate:  Mainstream media focused on misinformation about WMDs, even though proper information refuting WMDs existed before the invasion.  Having learned a lesson from the Vietnam War, the administration curbed broadcast media access to the military operations.
Citizen support:  About 75% supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003, bolstered by both misinformation and anti-terrorism sentiment.  By 2006 60% of the country felt the war was not worth it.  Republicans supported the invasion by 84%.  In the aftermath, polls indicated that Fox News viewers were the least informed about the reality of WMDs and most alarmed by terrorism.

IRAN BOMBING (2026)
Iranian casualties:  Over 550 deaths as of this posting.
Military casualties:  19 deaths (6 American)
Note:  I cannot yet find estimates of Iranian military casualties.  The ratio of overall Iranian to Israel and US military deaths so far approaches 30 to 1, 92 to 1 for just American deaths.
Media climate:  Most mainstream media has grown skeptical of the Trump administration’s motives, with the exception of Fox News.
Citizen support:  Mirrors that of the news they trust.

Many people have strong reactions to bombing Iran.  My Iane has been and always will be focused on the big picture of where civilization and humanity has been heading over time. I have several thoughts on what the trend data means.  Provide your own thoughts and stay tuned.