The Infuriating Flippancy of Donald Trump
From the contempt shown toward NATO, and the uncertainty with respect to Iran, emerges the reality that the U.S. does not have a Middle East plan.
On Wednesday night, the president of the United States addressed the nation in the face of uncertainty about the course of the war with Iran that he himself instigated six weeks ago. His words succeeded in creating even greater worldwide unease, as was demonstrated only hours later by the fall in the financial markets and another increase in the price of oil. Donald Trump declared that the war could continue for two or three more weeks; that reopening the Strait of Hormuz to bring an end to the energy blockade was not his problem; that Iran wanted to negotiate, but also that he could send it back “to the Stone Age.” Whoever was hoping for some clarity about the plan going forward will have realized that there is no plan. A few hours earlier, he said that he was going to take his country out of NATO.
This comment alone illustrates the extent to which the country that built the diplomatic, military and trade architecture of the West is now its principal agent of destabilization. Trump does not have the authority to remove the U.S. from NATO. This is a decision that depends on Congress. However, the comment reveals that there has been serious talk inside the White House casting doubt on the loyalty of U.S. allies simply because they refuse to take part in military action that is capricious, aimless, illegal, and managed over social media. The geostrategic opponents of the liberal democracies that sustain the NATO alliance must be enjoying the show.
The ordinary citizen is not alone in their consternation. World leaders are no longer hiding their annoyance at Trump’s flippancy. French President Emmanuel Macron said, “This is not a show. We are talking about war, about peace, about the lives of men and women. When you want to be serious, you don’t say one day the opposite of what you said the day before.” It is important to start to talk honestly about Trump. It is also a lesson for sycophants like NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The man Rutte called “Daddy” and whose comments he praised has just called NATO a paper tiger.
Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, thousands of people in a dozen countries have died, including U.S. soldiers and Israeli citizens; there are nearly 1 million displaced people in Lebanon. Iran has bombed critical infrastructure throughout the region and has caused a worldwide oil price shock. Trump’s answer has been to blame his allies and wash his hands of the consequences of the war. His confused address shows that he is not seeking to destroy the military capability of the bloodthirsty Iranian regime and guarantee the security of Israel, both of which are objects that all of NATO shares. Instead, it is becoming increasingly clear that he is only looking for a way out that will satisfy his ego and not make him look bad because the polls show that Americans overwhelmingly reject a war that they, like the rest of the world, do not understand.
On Wednesday night, the president of the United States addressed the nation in the face of uncertainty about the course of the war with Iran that he himself instigated six weeks ago. His words succeeded in creating even greater worldwide unease, as was demonstrated only hours later by the fall in the financial markets and another increase in the price of oil. Donald Trump declared that the war could continue for two or three more weeks; that reopening the Strait of Hormuz to bring an end to the energy blockade was not his problem; that Iran wanted to negotiate, but also that he could send it back “to the Stone Age.” Whoever was hoping for some clarity about the plan going forward will have realized that there is no plan. A few hours earlier, he said that he was going to take his country out of NATO.
This comment alone illustrates the extent to which the country that built the diplomatic, military and trade architecture of the West is now its principal agent of destabilization. Trump does not have the authority to remove the U.S. from NATO. This is a decision that depends on Congress. However, the comment reveals that there has been serious talk inside the White House casting doubt on the loyalty of U.S. allies simply because they refuse to take part in military action that is capricious, aimless, illegal, and managed over social media. The geostrategic opponents of the liberal democracies that sustain the NATO alliance must be enjoying the show.
The ordinary citizen is not alone in their consternation. World leaders are no longer hiding their annoyance at Trump’s flippancy. French President Emmanuel Macron said, “This is not a show. We are talking about war, about peace, about the lives of men and women. When you want to be serious, you don’t say one day the opposite of what you said the day before.” It is important to start to talk honestly about Trump. It is also a lesson for sycophants like NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The man Rutte called “Daddy” and whose comments he praised has just called NATO a paper tiger.
Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, thousands of people in a dozen countries have died, including U.S. soldiers and Israeli citizens; there are nearly 1 million displaced people in Lebanon. Iran has bombed critical infrastructure throughout the region and has caused a worldwide oil price shock. Trump’s answer has been to blame his allies and wash his hands of the consequences of the war. His confused address shows that he is not seeking to destroy the military capability of the bloodthirsty Iranian regime and guarantee the security of Israel, both of which are objects that all of NATO shares. Instead, it is becoming increasingly clear that he is only looking for a way out that will satisfy his ego and not make him look bad because the polls show that Americans overwhelmingly reject a war that they, like the rest of the world, do not understand.
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