The bumper sticker line for the Trump administration’s second-term foreign policy, known as “peace through strength,” will achieve nominal peace in the Middle East at best. But the so-called “peace” that President Trump highlighted as a central component of his third campaign for the White House is proving to be elusive, as demonstrated by the collapse of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal and the revived bombing campaign in Yemen.
These outcomes reflect a broader issue: Washington continues to utilize overly militaristic policies to achieve policy outcomes that cannot be reached with blunt force.
The irony should not be lost on those rightly critical of the “isolationist” accusations lobbed at the new administration. Trump’s second term is proving to be one of action, yes, but personnel is policy. In this context, many of the key national security staff in bodies like the National Security Council largely stem from the Republican Party’s neoconservative, interventionist wing.
Some of these officials are the same individuals who have pushed failed policies for decades, such as “maximum pressure” against Iran. The views and goals of such staff did not suddenly change overnight—they are simply operating under a new set of talking points.
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