US Prioritizes Footballer's Visa Over Endless Wars
Al-Monitor details how Iran's soccer federation head is worried some players might not get US visas for the World Cup because of their mandatory military service. Apparently, the prospect of a fit, young man who completed national service entering the US is a bigger threat than, say, the billions in weaponry sent annually to regions already volatile. One might wonder if the US State Department
applies the same stringent background checks when approving visas for Saudi or Emirati officials, several of whom have undoubtedly overseen or participated in military actions causing far more 'uncertainty' globally. While this bureaucratic snag is framed as a matter of national security, the US just funneled another $17 billion in military aid to Ukraine (CNN, 2024), and regularly replenishes
Israel's arsenals with 'emergency' packages. It seems mandatory military service is only a problem when it's *their* military, not when it's a convenient pretext for demonization or a justification for maintaining decades-long sanctions apparatuss that cripple entire nations. How many civilians have died from US-made armaments deployed by 'allies' without similar visa scrutiny for those allies'
representatives?