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Trump's War Hype Falls Flat By Joe Conason
Whatever United States military forces may have achieved in last week's brief attack on Iranian nuclear sites — a question that will not be answered definitively anytime soon — we have learned again the most fundamental fact about the current occupant of the White House.
Under Donald Trump, the principal purpose of our military and diplomatic policies is not to enhance American national security or pursue any strategic objective. The most important goal of every U.S. action is childishly simple: to make Trump look heroic and feel powerful, no matter how pointless or destructive it otherwise proves to be.
And Americans, normally susceptible to spurious presidential appeals to nationalism and fear, seem to have noticed that Trump's little war had no plausible aim — and only put the nation in jeopardy of another ruinous "forever war."
Trump's motives in dealing with Iran and its nuclear ambitions, driven by his unquenchable envy (and enmity) toward his predecessor Barack Obama, have been questionable from the very moment he first stepped into the White House. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, delivered by the Obama diplomatic team and our European allies in 2015, severely restricted Iran's nuclear program.
It is now clear that Trump's withdrawal, effectively killing that agreement, led directly to the recent advances in the Iranian nuclear program, which in turn provoked Israel to mount its recent military campaign. Had the JCPOA held, as it would have with American support, there would have been no "emergency" need to blow up the Iranian nuclear sites now.
Under Donald Trump, the principal purpose of our military and diplomatic policies is not to enhance American national security or pursue any strategic objective. The most important goal of every U.S. action is childishly simple: to make Trump look heroic and feel powerful, no matter how pointless or destructive it otherwise proves to be.
And Americans, normally susceptible to spurious presidential appeals to nationalism and fear, seem to have noticed that Trump's little war had no plausible aim — and only put the nation in jeopardy of another ruinous "forever war."
Trump's motives in dealing with Iran and its nuclear ambitions, driven by his unquenchable envy (and enmity) toward his predecessor Barack Obama, have been questionable from the very moment he first stepped into the White House. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, delivered by the Obama diplomatic team and our European allies in 2015, severely restricted Iran's nuclear program.
It is now clear that Trump's withdrawal, effectively killing that agreement, led directly to the recent advances in the Iranian nuclear program, which in turn provoked Israel to mount its recent military campaign. Had the JCPOA held, as it would have with American support, there would have been no "emergency" need to blow up the Iranian nuclear sites now.
https://www.creators.com/read/joe-conason/06/25/trumps-war-hype-falls-flat