Those hoping for a calmer new year have experienced a rude awakening in 2026. Rather than follow through on promises to centralize restraint and peace, President Donald Trump’s second term has largely reconstituted a form of 19th century gunboat diplomacy, launching numerous military operations or threats of them around the globe. The next target could be Iran as Trump turns to a dangerous form of U.S. military power that risks further overextending Washington’s capacities.
For those keeping a tally, Trump has ordered strikes on at least seven countries since beginning his second term: Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela. In his first year back in the White House, he has struck foreign soil more times than former president Joe Biden across his entire 4-year term.
Strikes on Venezuela and Syria occurred in the new year. Trump has threatened additional strikes on Iran and Greenland—alongside Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia—just this month. This degree of militarism reflects Trump’s so-called “peace through strength” approach to foreign policy, in which the president utilizes massive and rapid force to achieve a stated policy objective.
While most of these actions lacked Congressional authorization—making them illegal—they have also overextended the U.S. military. The Trump administration has repeatedly deployed and redeployed U.S. troops and other military assets to adjust to issues arising in various parts of the globe. Nowhere is that more apparent than the Middle East, where Washington has both withdrawn and surged assets to the region on a whim for much of the last year.
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