Why Has Trump Joined the Interventionists in a Crusade to Dictate the Future of the Middle East?

The National Interest

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Dick Krickus Security, Middle East Here is why Trump might go to war with Iran. With Mike Pompeo replacing Rex Tillerson at the State Department and John Bolton taking over H. R. McMaster’s post as national security advisor, the nation has moved a step closer toward war. Both Pompeo and Bolton have stated publicly they favor a “pre-emptive war” to replace the Mullahs in Tehran. They have been encouraged by hawks who have rationalized it with a cascade of articles, blogs, position papers and media appearances. Since the kinetic proclivities of both men clash with candidate Trump’s claim that the invasion of Iraq was a tragic mistake, why has President Trump reversed course on a matter that won him favor among millions of Americans in the 2016 presidential race? One plausible answer is that James Mattis, H. R. McMaster, and John Kelley urged him to deploy more troops to the Middle East to crush ISIS, to depose Assad’s regime in Syria, and to force the Taliban to the negotiating table in Afghanistan. They too have displayed keen enmity toward Iran fighters responsible for the deaths of many Americans. At the same time, they have endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that denies Iran nuclear weapons for at least ten years—if not forever. They acknowledge its flaws but given Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA oppose President Trump’s promise to kill the deal in May. Pompeo and Bolton proclaim the time has come to scrap the JCPOA, to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations and to expel the radical Mullahs from power. Barack Obama conceded Iran is the world’s leading supporter of international terrorism but like Bush and Clinton preceding him, he did nothing to destroy that evil threat to our Arab and Israeli allies—and possibly our homeland as well. Now with two hawks at his side, President Trump can end the threat of the Iranian jihadists once and for all. To pursue further negotiations with them is senseless; we should follow the advice of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and destroy Iran’s nuclear assets in a joint American-Israeli pre-emptive strike. Read full article