US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities is Trump’s biggest gamble yet as president
Much could go wrong for the US and the Middle East as Trump and Netanyahu pursue the disempowerment of Iran
Donald Trump, a self-confessed risk-taker, has taken the greatest gamble - not just with his political reputation and the future of the Middle East, but arguably with the whole concept of military intervention as a way to solve intractable geopolitical problems.
If the US president succeeds - and there will be many rival interpretations and metrics of success in the weeks ahead - it is possible he will have disempowered Iran, and diminished the global influence of a regime that has for 40 years sponsored threats against the west. In the process his personal authority will have been enhanced, and his next three years in office will be a triumph that may exacerbate some of his worst authoritarian and impulsive traits.
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