Trump is angry with a world that won't give him easy deals | Rafael Behr

In the Middle East as in Ukraine, the president is discovering that simple bullying tricks don't resolve complex international crises

It was as close as Donald Trump might get to a lucid statement of his governing doctrine. I may do it. I may not do it," the president said to reporters on the White House lawn. Nobody knows what I'm going to do."

The question was about joining Israeli air strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Days later, US bombers were on their way. Some expected it to happen. Others, including Keir Starmer, had gone on record to say they didn't. No one had known. The unpredictability doctrine wouldn't have been violated either way.

Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist