The Trump Doctrine Delivers a Win Against Iran
Scott Ruesterholz Posted: Jan 09, 2020 

Despite Democrats and their media mouthpieces setting their hair ablaze to spout their crazed notion that President Trump was blundering the United States into World War III with Iran, it’s now clear that his decision to kill General Qasem Soleimani was a foreign policy masterstroke. We’ve taken out Iran’s terrorist mastermind, a man who killed over 600 American troops in Iraq and caused unspeakable bloodshed across the region while making clear that killing American citizens will be met with disproportionate force. Iran’s response, in which they warned the Iraqis (who then warned us) of incoming missiles, was essentially retaliation in name only, thankfully killing no one, and served to satiate the domestic need to save face while making clear they could not stomach further escalation.

By showing that he will act forcefully and unpredictably when American lives are lost or in jeopardy, Trump clearly rattled the Iranian regime and re-established a level of deterrence in the US-Iranian relationship not seen since they released our hostages to President Reagan in 1981. More tellingly, the Iran saga has further crystallized what the Trump Doctrine is: leverage asymmetric power to maximize gains for America’s interest at minimum cost. Thus far, the Trump Doctrine has worked to great effect in America’s economic conflicts; this week, we learned it can be applied as successfully to military affairs.
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