Caffeinated Politics

The killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the joint U.S.–Israeli strikes this weekend marks one of the most consequential geopolitical ruptures in decades, and it underscores—more starkly than ever—why a fully empowered Voice of America is not a luxury but a strategic necessity.

The breaking of international law by Donald Trump and his administration, along with the outright repudiation of a constitutional process for going to war, makes the events this weekend extremely troubling and dangerous. Additionally, millions of Iranian citizens are in jeopardy as the real threats of chaos and factions fighting in the streets may be in the offing. The military method for regime change unleashed on Saturday was wrong. Now it is our responsibility as a nation, in concert with others, to wade into the frothy mess and seek ways to foster a better future for the people who are trapped in this growing vortex of danger.

In moments like this, when the world is watching, when disinformation surges, and when Iranian Revolutionary Guards and religious zealots are scrambling to control the narrative, the United States needs every tool of influence at its disposal. And yet, one of the most potent instruments of American soft power, Voice of America, was deliberately hollowed out by Trump’s executive order that dismantled its parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The order effectively shut down VOA’s operations, laid off hundreds of journalists, and reduced the organization to the bare minimum required by statute. 

The short‑sightedness of dismantling VOA cannot be overstated. For more than eighty years, VOA has been one of America’s most effective non‑military tools for shaping global understanding. Born in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda with truthful reporting, VOA grew into a multilingual, multimedia broadcaster reaching hundreds of millions of people in countries where the free press is suppressed or nonexistent. It has weathered jamming by the Nazis, censorship by the Soviets, and attempts by authoritarian regimes, from Iran to North Korea, to silence its signal. Its mission has always been simple and profoundly powerful: providing accurate, independent news to people who have no other access to it. (I have bristled over the decades from people on both the left and the right who have claimed slanted information or biases being broadcast from VOA. I am not ashamed of American values and know the use of taxpayer monies to extoll them to all corners of the globe was beneficial. I see much value in empowering subjected peoples with information that can spread democratic ideas and values. From my perspective, journalism provided by VOA was independent of governmental pressure.)

The mission of the VOA is not some quaint relic of the Cold War. It must once again be a strategic living asset. After this weekend, I can write, especially now! In the aftermath of Khamenei’s death, Iran’s state media is already shaping a narrative, and militia groups across the region are amplifying conspiracy theories. Social media ecosystems are primed for manipulation. In this environment, VOA’s absence is not just a bureaucratic gap but rather a forfeited battlefield. Information is a domain of warfare, and the United States voluntarily disarmed itself based on an absurd whim from Trump.

A robust VOA would be broadcasting into Iran right now in Farsi, providing clarity where the regime spreads confusion, offering facts where militias push fabrications, and giving ordinary Iranians a window into how the world sees this moment. The mullahs would not be able to block the signals, as such impediment-blocking means would be removed through bombing. VOA broadcasts would be explaining the stakes, contextualizing the conflict, and countering the propaganda that thrives in the fog of war. Instead, VOA is recovering from an unprecedented political assault by Trump and his conservative sycophants and uneducated toadies on its independence and capacity.

The United States cannot afford such self‑inflicted blindness. Military power may remove a leader, but informational power shapes what comes next. How populations interpret events, how allies coordinate, how adversaries calculate risk, and how the world understands American intentions. VOA has always been one of the most credible and far‑reaching instruments for that purpose. To weaken it is to weaken ourselves. To have tried to kill it is one more rational reason we ask what side Donald Trump serves when it comes to Russian President Putin?

Congress took an important step by restoring some funding earlier this year, but the job is not done. The U.S. needs a fully restored, fully staffed, fully independent Voice of America, capable of broadcasting in nearly fifty languages and reaching the hundreds of millions who rely on it. Anything less is strategic negligence.

The regime change underway in Iran will be long and costly for the United States. The decapitation of the leadership ran counter to international law. But now the people of Iran must be our focus. It will take funds and expertise to craft the next chapters of the story in that nation. Such efforts will require the journalists of VOA to impart information and understanding along the way.