How Trump’s Reckless War and His Islamabad MOU Degraded American Power
Joe Plenzler How Trump’s Reckless War and His Islamabad MOU Degraded American Power The United States exists this war weaker, poorer, and more isolated from allies Joe Plenzler , Brett Meiselas , and Kristofer Goldsmith Jun 19, 2026 (Original photo: Reuters) At its core, war is a test of wills. Raw asymmetry in material wealth and technological firepower is meaningless if it is divorced from strategic clarity and political endurance. In the early months of 2026, President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury (more like Operation Epic Blunder)—a joint U.S.-Israeli surprise bombardment of Iran—under the presumptuous delusion that international statecraft is dictated by pure bullying. He assumed that a relentless campaign of bombing would trigger an immediate capitulation from Tehran. Instead, the Iranian regime demonstrated a massive tolerance for absorbing severe blows - far more than the political leadership in Washington ever anticipated. Driven by an abject lack of a coher...