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Observers have spent two weeks trying to discern the “aims” of Trump’s war on Iran, and therefore what might constitute a victory or defeat. His every bizarre utterance about his war “plans” — including wildly conflicting declarations that Iran has surrendered and the war must be expanded to defeat the regime — immediately move markets.
The evident fact, though, is that Trump is completely nuts, and that he’s “governing” the country — and has now taken the US to war — based on his impulses alone, without even the pretense of a strategy or goal.
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It’s almost as if Trump felt that, as a would-be dictator, he had to have his own nihilistic war, just like his idol Vlad Putin. But Trump’s “excursion” against Iran is nothing like Putin’s years long “special military operation” against Ukraine — it’s actually more stupid.
Putin’s goals have never been hidden or uncertain — he wants to erase the nation of Ukraine and reincorporate its territory into his neo-Russian Empire. Trump, by contrast — and characteristically — is utterly unable to articulate why he started the largest war the United States has embarked on since the years following 9/11, let alone explain what “victory” might look like.
This is hardly unusual. In fact, it’s the sine qua non of late Trumpism, in which the Strongman of Mar-a-Lago “rules” the country based on pure impulse, rather than even the most misguided of strategy.
“Governance” by impulse
It’s a frightening reality of the Trump regime that, as Trump has descended into utter incoherence and is now nothing more than an assortment of adolescent (and frequently violent) urges, the US government has been remade into a tool for the immediate satisfaction of his wants and desires no matter how absurd or nihilistic they may be.
We’ve seen this dynamic of chaos descend upon various components of our government and society over the past 14 months.
