Trump’s Doctrine: When War Becomes a Business Model |
The explosions now echoing across Iran, Lebanon, and parts of the Gulf are not merely the sounds of another Middle Eastern war. They also reflect a particular political mindset—one that views conflict not as a last resort, but as a negotiating instrument.
To understand the current escalation, it is necessary to look beyond the traditional language of diplomacy and security. Instead, one must try to grasp the worldview of the man currently occupying the White House: Donald Trump.
In Trump’s political universe, war is rarely framed in moral or humanitarian terms. It is understood through the logic of leverage, bargaining, and deal-making. The vocabulary of tragedy gives way to the vocabulary of transaction.
When a reportedly US-backed Israeli strike hit a primary school in eastern Iran days ago, killing dozens of children, the international community expected the usual diplomatic rituals—statements of concern, expressions of regret, perhaps a call for restraint. None of these appeared in any meaningful form.
But the silence itself is revealing.
For a leader shaped by the culture of high-stakes real estate deals, apologizing carries a strategic cost. An apology suggests responsibility, and responsibility weakens bargaining power. In the logic of transactional politics, maintaining dominance requires projecting certainty and refusing moral vulnerability.
READ: Rubio tells Arab ministers Iran war could last ‘several more weeks’: Report
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