I(also)Ran

So all Trump’s bluster, America First, hit out at friends and allies while sleeping with porn stars, maximum pressure on everybody except some of the world’s worst dictators, ginning up all the mad men in America, has finally resulted in America Alone.
While Iran may well be to blame for the ship attacks, and the drone shot down may well have been in international waters, nobody is taking America’s side. The European (unsaid) view is that Iran has been unfairly backed into a corner, and is taking legitimate action to defend its interests. The ultimate chutzpah was Pompeo warning the Iranians not to break the nuclear deal - one year after the US broke it itself.

That’s the new Art of the Deal - we make a deal, but only you are supposed to keep it. I won’t, but I will hammer you if you won’t.

Luckily for the world, The Dotard himself doesn’t want war, though his attack dogs, especially Pompeo, Bolton and Cotton are all straining at the leash. Suggestion - children and grandchildren of Pompeo and Bolton should be in the front line of the Iran war. Cotton can join himself, since he doesn’t have grown up children. And if Trump is convinced and goes to war - get a proper tailor (not the waistcoat guy) to measure up Don Jr, Eric, Javed and Ivanka for their uniforms.

Of course, all those Trump rally goers can also join in. Just like the first crusade a thousand years ago attracted all the rabble of Europe, I am sure America’s new crusade would attract all the rabble of the Trump rallies. Or maybe not - like their God, they may also just be full of hot air.

Trump said that the order to shoot down the drone probably came from some stupid General, and not the Iranian leadership. This was a conspicuous climb down from his customary bellicosity. Had he realized he had entered dangerous territory? 

The situation showed “that Trump’s assumptions about maximum pressure are wrong,” tweeted Vali Nasr, an expert on U.S. foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University. “Trump has to think [the Iranians] made a mistake otherwise he has to admit that his great achievement is not Iranian surrender but putting [the U.S.] on path to war.”

Joe Biden called Mr Trump's Iran strategy a "self-inflicted disaster". Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said: "The president may not intend to go to war here, but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war." What a situation when you have to worry the President is a bumbler. As it happens, there were reports that Trump had given the go ahead to an operation to hit some Iranian targets last night, only to reverse himself at the last minute. Bumble on.....

Meanwhile, Iran meets with the other 5 signatories of the JCPOA next week in Vienna. They are still trying to find a way to sidetrack US sanctions. While the “payment vehicle” set up this time may not work too well - this is probably the beginning of the end of American economic dominance. You can unfairly hold the world to ransom with your economic might. But that unfairness will finally result in chipping away at that might, till you cannot hold the world to ransom any more.

A hundred years ago, nobody thought that Britain’s might would be gone some day. Trump is ensuring that the same happens to the US - and probably quicker.