Trump’s Temptation

Trump has already sampled the sweetness of the Pentagon’s military supremacy and what it means to be the big boss who gets the last word.

Let’s not forget that during his presidential campaign, just this past fall of 2016, Trump proclaimed to all who would listen that his aptitude for war strategy surpassed that of the generals in the Pentagon, and that as president, he would never hesitate to use the most lethal arsenal in the world to defend the security and interests of his nation.

The chemical weapon attack against the small town in the north of Syria that cost the lives of more than 70 innocent civilians, among them various children, attributed to President Bashar Assad and with a presumed stamp of approval from Russia, is despicable and unforgivable.

At the same time, Trump’s unilateral order to launch 59 missiles against the Syrian air base is equally reprehensible.

“The United States is not the world police,”* Trump declared, hours before ordering the retaliatory attack against Syria for the vile assassination of civilians in the northern part of the country with chemical weapons.

The Tomahawk missiles launched from two U.S. aircraft carriers did nothing to end the civil war in the Middle Eastern country.

The conflict in the Arab nation has lasted almost seven years, with Russia and Iran fully backing the Assad regime. This military intervention by the United States only complicates things more, and a short-term solution is now even less probable.

The presence of fundamentalist groups in Syria, such as the Islamic State and al-Qaida, in addition to the opposition to Assad — financed and militarily trained by the Pentagon — transforms this civil war into the perfect arena for Trump to learn his role as commander in chief of the armed forces.

Due to his unpredictable manner, his irrational decision-making, and having such a short fuse, and because of his eagerness to fulfill all his campaign promises, Trump may succumb to the temptation of provoking a military conflict of great magnitude under the guise of protecting the security and integrity of the United States.

Not only Syria, but also North Korea and Iran are natural enemies of the United States, according to Trump, along with the stubbornness of their military efforts, whose conflicts he promised to resolve.

This first military action he has taken gained him a notable increase in popularity among Americans, not due to his military prowess, but because of global indignation caused by the murder of Syrian civilians and children with chemical weapons.

During this learning period as president, and after the spontaneous increase in his popularity — that within a few days will return to normal (meaning low) — Trump could again be tempted to use the Pentagon’s force for a political agenda.

Knowing how to push his buttons isn’t rocket science. Another irrational and unpredictable leader, like Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who likes to play with lethal weapons, such as missiles, would be an ideal target for the president of the United States, especially during a popularity crisis.

Trump’s military ambitions and his temptation to use force are considerable. And that’s not something that should be easily forgotten.

*Editor’s note: This quote, accurately translated from the original, could not be verified.