“Trump’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear targets is a short-sighted one that will not achieve his stated objectives, brings significant risks to the United States, and could derail his foreign policy priorities,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, the director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a think tank that advocates for measured U.S. foreign policy. “To strike Iran while diplomacy was ongoing undermines his push for peace elsewhere including with Putin. Why would Russia or any other country negotiate with Trump going forward?”
“Trump is trying to signal that he wants to get back to diplomacy but the risk of a wider war is still very real and high. Iran’s retaliation will determine whether the United States can extract itself so easily,” said Kavanagh, a former senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation who served as the director of its Army Strategy program.
“There is also very little chance Iran will negotiate now because Trump has no way to provide them credible assurances that if they come to the table, they will be spared future attacks,” Kavanagh said. “Trump has sacrificed significant diplomatic leverage for narrow military gains of uncertain duration, and in doing so, has put the United States at risk of another costly Middle East war that will further diminish U.S. global influence and American prosperity.”
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