Kayyem: Killing Soleimani Accomplished Nothing

APTOPIX Lebanon Soleimani — A supporter of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wears the words "powerful revenge" on her hand, ahead of the leader's televised speech in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020 following the U.S. airstrike in Iraq that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani. The placard in her other hand depicts Soleimaini and Iraq's Popular Mobilization forces commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was also killed in the strike. Arabic on placard reads: "On the road to Jerusalem."

Arjun Singh is a producer for Boston Public Radio. A California native, Arjun moved to Boston to study international relations at Boston University. Prior to working at WGBH, Arjun worked at a tech company and for a political campaign.

January 08, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump addressed the nation after the Iranian government launched multiple missiles at American bases in Iraq in retaliation for the death of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani. In his address, the president celebrated the death of Soleimani and vowed to never let Iran have a nuclear weapon. Trump also appeared to call for cessation to military conflict between the nations.

“The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean we have to use it,” Trump said. “The United States is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it.”

During an interview with Boston Public Radio following Trump’s address, national security expert Juliette Kayyem said that she was confounded as to what Trump sought to gain from killing Soleimani and that the two nations were in the same position they were prior to Soleimani’s death.

“What’s our goal?” Kayyem said. “This brinkmanship that ends [us] exactly where we started is just hard for me to applaud.”

Kayyem is an analyst for CNN, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and the faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.