The War They Thought They Could Win And the Truth Few Are Willing to Face

by Brother Carlton 
03/18/26
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There is a dangerous temptation in times of war to divide everything into teams.

One side is “right.” The other is “wrong.” One side is “good.” The other is “evil.” And once those lines are drawn, many people stop asking questions altogether.

But what if the real issue is not left versus right, not liberal versus conservative, not even America versus Iran?

What if the real issue is something deeper, something far more uncomfortable?

What if it is a question of truth, accountability, and whether the same standards we expect from others apply to us as well?

That is the challenge raised by Scott Ritter, a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer and United Nations weapons inspector who was directly involved in evaluating the effectiveness of U.S. airstrikes during the Gulf War. His firsthand experience in assessing what was truly destroyed, and what was not, gives weight to his analysis of the current conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

And his conclusion is not easy to hear.

Ritter argues that this is not a story of victory unfolding before our eyes. It is a story of miscalculation, of power applied without achieving its intended result. According to him, the United States and Israel have demonstrated their ability to strike targets, but they have not succeeded in crippling Iran’s actual capacity to continue the war.

In fact, he suggests something even more sobering.

He believes much of what has been destroyed may not have mattered as much as people think.

Drawing from his own experience after the Gulf War, Ritter recalls how American forces confidently reported destroying Iraqi facilities, only to later discover that many of those buildings had been emptied beforehand. The structures were gone, but the critical equipment had survived. The Iraqis simply returned, rebuilt, and continued.

Ritter says the same pattern may be playing out now.

Iran, he argues, anticipated this conflict long in advance. Valuable equipment was moved. Infrastructure was dispersed. Critical assets were protected in hardened locations, including underground facilities and hidden sites specifically designed for wartime survival. So while explosions dominate the headlines, the deeper question remains: has anything essential actually been taken off the table?

So far, he says, the answer appears to be no.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to respond, and that response has surprised many.

Ritter describes a missile program that is far more advanced than commonly portrayed. According to him, Iran is not acting out of desperation, but strategy. Older missiles may be used first to overwhelm defenses and exhaust interceptors. More advanced systems follow, equipped with maneuvering capabilities, decoys, and precision targeting designed to penetrate modern defense systems.

In his view, this is not chaos. It is calculated warfare.

And it is exposing something many assumed was secure, the idea that missile defense systems could reliably protect against this kind of attack.

But perhaps the most serious part of this discussion is not military at all.

It is moral and legal.

If the claims are true, that there was no imminent threat, no active nuclear weapons program, and no immediate danger requiring preemptive war, then the justification for this conflict becomes deeply questionable. International law, including the United Nations Charter, was designed to restrain exactly this kind of action unless clear conditions are met.

This matters because one of the primary arguments used to justify attacking Iran is the claim that Iran was close to developing nuclear weapons. Ritter directly challenges that claim. He argues there is no evidence of an active Iranian nuclear weapons program, and if that is true, then one of the central justifications for war begins to collapse.

This view is not limited to Ritter. In testimony before Congress, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated that the U.S. intelligence community does not assess that Iran is currently building a nuclear weapon.

And that leads to a question that cuts across politics.

Do those laws apply only to our enemies, or do they apply to us as well?

This is where it becomes personal for me.

Many people I know, good people, thoughtful people, even friends I respect, supported President Trump and continue to support these actions. Some of them go even further and appeal to biblical prophecy, or to the belief that Israel, as God’s chosen people, must be defended in all circumstances.

I understand where that conviction comes from.

But I also believe it deserves careful examination.

Because when we read Scripture, being “chosen” was never a license to act without accountability. If anything, it meant the opposite. In the Old Testament, Israel was often judged more severely, not less, precisely because it was chosen. The prophets did not excuse injustice; they confronted it.

That raises an important distinction that many today blur.

There is a difference between the people of Israel in a biblical, covenantal sense and the modern political state of Israel, which operates like any other nation, with policies, alliances, and strategic interests. To equate the two without question is not necessarily faithfulness; it may, in some cases, be a misunderstanding.

And to support every action of a modern government based on ancient promises is a serious claim, one that should be examined carefully, not assumed automatically.

Let me be clear.

Some have gone further and suggested more controversial explanations, pointing to political pressures or unresolved issues that may not be fully visible to the public. Whether those claims are true or not, they reflect a growing unease about transparency, motives, and accountability at the highest levels of leadership.

This is not hatred toward Jewish people. It is not anti-Semitism. It is not a rejection of the historical significance of Israel in Scripture.

It is simply a recognition that modern geopolitics and biblical theology are not always the same thing.

And if that distinction matters, and I believe it does, then we are brought back again to the central issue.

Truth.

Not political loyalty.
Not national pride.
Not even religious sentiment.

Truth.

Ritter’s warning goes beyond legality into strategy as well. He argues that this war was entered into despite clear warnings. Intelligence assessments, he says, indicated that Iran would retaliate, that escalation was likely, and that key objectives, such as regime change, were unrealistic.

Now those warnings appear to be unfolding.

The conflict is widening. Regional players are being drawn in. Critical infrastructure is being targeted. And the potential for broader economic consequences, especially in energy markets, remains very real.

So where does this lead?

Ritter believes the most likely outcome is not a decisive victory, but a carefully managed exit. A declaration of success may come, but it may not reflect the reality on the ground. Behind the rhetoric, he expects a gradual disengagement, possibly brokered with the involvement of global powers like Russia or China.

In other words, the end of this war may look very different from how it began.

And that brings us back, once again, to the deeper question.

Are we willing to examine what is actually happening, even when it challenges what we have always believed?

Are we willing to apply the same moral and legal standards to ourselves that we expect from others?

And are we willing to separate truth from tradition, conviction from assumption, and faith from political alignment?

These are not easy questions.

But they are necessary ones.

Because in the end, the strength of a nation, and the integrity of a people, is not measured only by power, but by the willingness to pursue truth, uphold justice, and remain accountable, even when it is uncomfortable.

Brother Carlton is a former U.S. Marine, Hollywood actor, and entrepreneur whose life journey—from the Marine Corps to Hollywood to Christian ministry—has given him a unique perspective on faith, purpose, and personal transformation. Today he devotes his time to studying Scripture, writing, speaking, and helping select small business owners improve their marketing and grow their businesses ethically and effectively.

His book, Digging For Spiritual Treasure: A Collection of Meditations From My Hollywood Apartment, shares powerful spiritual insights drawn from Scripture and real-life experiences to help readers deepen their faith and discover practical biblical wisdom for everyday life.

Search “Digging For Spiritual Treasure Brother Carlton” on Amazon to learn more.

 You can also listen to The Brother Carlton Show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, where Brother Carlton shares biblical insights, life lessons, and practical wisdom for living with greater purpose.

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