When the United States waged the Gulf War in 1991, President George Bush boasted of building a vast coalition unseen for decades. When his son attacked Iraq in 2003, he faced sharp criticism but could rely on several stalwart allies.
A generation later, President Donald Trump attacked Iran alongside Israel, a long-time advocate for striking the religious leaders in power in Tehran, and he no longer seeks to make friends.
His strategy towards other countries has been to force them to cooperate and loudly complain when they refuse. The American president harshly criticized a key ally, the United Kingdom, calling it “very, very uncooperative” and stating about Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with.”
He also threatened to “end” completely commercial relations with Spain after the left-wing Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, refused to let American forces use two of its bases in the south of the country.
The United States and Israel did not bother going through the United Nations before unleashing the war that quickly led to the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader.
“This essentially sends the message to the world that Trump’s United States considers itself above the law and does not even feel the need to pretend otherwise,” said Kristina Kausch, Deputy Director of the German Marshall Fund, a think tank based in Washington.
This war only reinforces European perceptions of Trump, who shocked the continent by threatening to take over Greenland, a territory of a NATO member, Denmark.
“The degree of isolation of the United States or loss of its soft power will depend on the seriousness of the consequences of this decision,” said Ms. Kausch about the attack on Iran.
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CONTEXT: The content discusses President Trump’s attack on Iran and the reactions from various countries and international organizations. FACT CHECK: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the Supreme Leader of Iran, not the Prime Minister. —
