Iran clearly has not been defeated, and is in a better position than before the war.
American bases, now referred to as “Trump’s Sitting Ducks” are exposed as undefended. The most rare and expensive American intelligence assets have been destroyed by inexpensive Iranian drones using Chinese and Russian targeting systems. Stockpiles are exhausted, forcing America to claim it is the one blocking Hormuz and suing for peace. The American allies are insulted and pivoting to other partners.
Notably, Trump had announced he would pull 12,000 troops from Germany in 2020. That didn’t happen so he’s now back again, saying he will pull 5,000 to make a political point. It’s really a confession that Trump just improvises punishment, to fake looking like a strong man, instead of coming up with any strategy. Germany knows history, and why Mussolini was never a good advisor.
“We really don’t need any advice from Donald Trump right now. He should see the mess he’s made. He should make sure that serious peace talks are now being held in Iran,” Klingbeil said at a Labor Day event in Bergkamen in the Ruhr region.
February 22 I explained the strategic bankruptcy that would land in failure. February 28 I explained the objectives couldn’t be reached. This was all entirely predictable because we know Trump business deals are about going bankrupt.
Trump Steaks. Trump University. Trump Vodka. Trump Airlines. Trump Mortgage. Trump Casinos six times. The man is still the same crook: announce some “dream” venture with maximum spectacle, extract value during operation, default on obligations, blame counterparties, walk away leaving creditors and partners holding the bag. The Iran war and the Germany posture are sovereign assets instead of the tacky branded merchandise nobody is buying.
Look at how American bases were built as forward projection, and used to have value. They now are embarrassing collateral Trump cannot defend or reposition. This is just like his casinos that he kept operating empty and silent past insolvency because admitting anything and closing them would crystallize his massive losses.
Saudi Arabia opening to Tehran? That’s huge. UAE hedging through Beijing? Trump is cooked. UK refusing the air bases for the strikes? Stunning. Merz saying Trump can’t handle the job? These are people who recognize the workout phase of Trump’s repeating reputation is about suckers getting sucked in. The bankruptcy filing is not worth waiting for. They are filing claims and diversifying because Trump is being a Trump.
No objective, no allies, no defensible posture, no authorization, no exit. The question is who will absorb all the Trump loss so he can carry on again claiming it was his greatest success. 5,000 troops pulled from Germany are a symptom, even if he failed to pull twice that amount as he had threatened. The pattern says Trump will soak the same parties who absorbed the losses on every other Trump venture: workers, partners, taxpayers, and anyone who allowed his brand to run at face value. Of course he’s picking fights to maximize damage, like a dictator in decline, while pulling out and backing down.
Germany knows its own history.
Bankruptcy is how Trump loots a company. Dictatorship is how he loots a country. Same crook, bigger collateral, more tragic end.
Update:
Trump announced it’s treasonous to admit defeats, as if channeling Hitler, the exact opposite of WWII victory.
If the Allies could openly admit defeats, it was believed [by Nazi listeners], they must be extremely confident, convinced of their eventual victory over Nazi Germany.
As a disinformation historian, I recognize the game. He labels anyone with standing to assess military outcomes as “radical” and partisan. The people documenting the loss are disqualified by him from naming it. Accusation is his confession; projection his policy.
See also, my early warnings about Elon Musk:
