Stray thoughts on Trump’s decision to vacate nuclear deal with Iran

1. To say that Trump’s foreign policy actions have no strategic coherence other than his singular desire to undo President Obama’s accomplishments in the global theater misses an important point. And it is this: Trump is of the mind that the preponderance of military power in U.S. hands allows him to unilaterally dictate to the rest of the world, and the world, in turn, has no other option than to comply with his dictates, even if very reluctantly. Trump, in effect, believes — and now he is surrounded by advisors of like mind — that there are no limits to the projection of U.S. power, despite much evidence to the contrary..

I will be surprised if a majority of people approve of Trump’s action, especially as they learn more about its consequences.

2. In light of yesterday’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, one has to wonder if regime change is far behind? After all, that is the overweening desire of not only the Trumpists, but also the Saudi and Israeli governments. The latter two, notwithstanding the free pass given to them by the major media, are anything but innocent actors in the Middle East.

3. Trump’s decision to opt out of the nuclear agreement with Iran much like his pulling out of the Paris climate change accord does more than isolate the U.S. on the global stage and rupture our alliances internationally. Both also — and this point should be emphasized — existentially endanger the very well being of the American people, not to mention people worldwide, in the near as well as the longer term.

4. Amidst all the chatter around the abrogation of the Iran deal it is easy to forget about the control of oil and other energy sources.