Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs suggested that the United States is also “pretty murderous” when compared to Iran.
Sachs appeared Friday on MSNBC and slammed President Trump’s decision to approve a drone strike that killed a top Iranian general. Sachs said that Trump’s action has destabilized Iran and that the U.S. does not have moral authority to push for “regime change” in the country.
“Can the West effect regime change in a more deliberate and successful way than using sanctions or taking out top military leadership?” host Katy Tur asked Sachs. “Is there a better way to get a people to overthrow a murderous and oppressive regime, or is that just none of our business?”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it that way because we’re pretty murderous also. We’ve launched more wars than any other country in modern times,” Sachs responded. “I don’t think it’s really our business to change the regime.”
Sachs bemoaned what he called the loss of diplomacy and blamed Trump for breaking out of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama in 2015.
Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani at an airport in Iraq. Soleimani planned a number of terrorist strikes around the world and lead Iranian efforts to extend its influence in the Middle East through violence.
