Trump’s war without purpose is everyone’s problem |
The US-led war on Iran lacks clear objectives or strategy, accelerating the erosion of American credibility while exposing failures in political and media judgement.
Why is it only now that the world’s markets, the masters of statecraft in the democracies and even some of US President Donald Trump’s cultists are beginning to realise that the undeclared war on Iran is demented?
Those who declared it justified can only offer the wan excuse that it seemed like a good idea at the time. But it was always a bad idea, with no clear objective, no exit strategy, and no true cause ever offered – Trump even said he might bomb Iran’s Kharg Island “just for fun”. More recently, Trump on Friday told a Saudi-backed investment forum that while he didn’t think the Iran war was a “big risk”, conceded there were surprises with war.
The damage the US is delivering to its power, prestige, credibility and self-confidence is becoming apparent, while the rise in influence of its declared enemies and rivals Russia, China and North Korea is enormous.
Ask yourself this: who in a capital regarded as an enemy of Trump (such as Brazil or South Africa) could now not recognise a nuclear ICBM as their only defence? Kim Jong Un in North Korea must caress even more tenderly his nuclear button at night, while Japan and South Korea will surely move closer to accepting that the nuclear option provides their only true........