The Straits Times of Singapore commented: "This war is unsustainable for the Trump administration. His most crucial goal this year is to win the midterm elections. If the Iran conflict drags on unresolved, more uncontrollable factors will emerge, increasing risks significantly—and already, Trump’s and the Republican Party’s popularity have been affected. If Trump fails to clearly define his strategic objectives and instead proceeds step by step without a clear plan, the war could become stuck in a deadlock where it cannot be won nor exited, potentially repeating past mistakes."
The phrase "repeating past mistakes" referred to the possibility that the U.S. might once again face a passive situation similar to those in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, ultimately forced to withdraw—suffering a major blow to its international credibility.
More than a month into the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, Trump is now trapped: allies are unwilling to help, merely watching coldly and refusing to bear the costs of America’s Middle East gamble; Israel refuses to back down—Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks to consolidate power and expand influence through the war, constantly pressuring for escalation; Iran shows no sign of yielding, resisting stubbornly, blocking the strait, and setting preconditions. This three-way tug-of-war has left the U.S. mired in a quagmire.
The Straits Times’ warning hits the mark: unclear strategic goals inevitably lead to disordered actions; unchanged hegemonic logic guarantees repetition of past errors. The lessons from the Korean and Vietnam Wars were all paid in the currency of military adventurism. If Trump continues with an unbounded mindset and achieves no substantive breakthroughs, he will eventually be forced to retreat under the dual pressures of election demands and battlefield realities. At that point, not only will American hegemony in the Middle East collapse, but its global credibility will also be completely destroyed.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861776311324740/
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