Tom Nichols and Timothy Snyder on the US Bombing of Iran

Tom Nichols, writing for The Atlantic (gift link):

President Donald Trump has done what he swore he would not do: involve the United States in a war in the Middle East. His supporters will tie themselves in knots (as Vice President J. D. Vance did last week) trying to jam the square peg of Trump’s promises into the round hole of his actions. And many of them may avoid calling this “war” at all, even though that’s what Trump himself called it tonight. They will want to see it as a quick win against an obstinate regime that will eventually declare bygones and come to the table. But whether bombing Iran was a good idea or a bad idea — and it could turn out to be either, or both — it is war by any definition of the term, and something Trump had vowed he would avoid. [...]

Only one outcome is certain: Hypocrisy in the region and around the world will reach galactic levels as nations wring their hands and silently pray that the B-2s carrying the bunker-buster bombs did their job.

See also: Timothy Snyder, on Bluesky:

Five things to remember about war:

  1. Many things reported with confidence in the first hours and days will turn out not to be true.
  2. Whatever they say, the people who start wars are often thinking chiefly about domestic politics.
  3. The rationale given for a war will change over time, such that actual success or failure in achieving a named objective is less relevant than one might think.
  4. Wars are unpredictable.
  5. Wars are easy to start and hard to stop.

★ Sunday, 22 June 2025