The failure to succeed was tired to the failure to follow international laws. It turns out that they are there for very good reasons, chief being that breaking them leads to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Part of the failure in the attack on Afghansitan was a lack of moral authority within the country itself. Our pretense to gift them with democracy when they live in a tribal economy was shortsighted and disastrous. Following international laws would have prevented this humiliation.
I would be rather more careful in comparing operations from the past to Venezuella. Especially since Trump acts with such blatant disregard to any notion of American national interest, however you may define it. I do agree that the intentions matter much less than the actions themselves, but arguing that the ends justify the means is only possible in retrospect, not in the moment. In the moment we never know the results, and if the result is a world where rules matter less, this becomes rather tricky to argue that the ends were justified.
So yes, these may be viewed as separate, but only for past matters, not for ongoing
Consider the following possibility: The Iran war is not intended to be "won," in a classical sense. If the thinking (feels like a Bessent strategy, maybe with alignment with Rubio) is that the new Cold War equivalent is a multi-decade indirect war with China, then actions fit more sensibly into a strategy. The best vector to strike against China is via fossil fuels, which it must import. The best time to do so is now, before their gigantic investments in solar power can replace their fossil fuel vulnerability. Now, while Russia is limited in its ability to grow exports to China, take away Venezuela. Intentionally allow quagmires in both the Russia/Ukraine and Iran situation such that global oil exports are massively curtailed. Most global economies need imported fossil fuels like air to breathe. The US can hold its breath much longer than China. Small pain to the US; large pain to China. Playing around with the re-opening date of the Strait of Hormuz is torture and in fact part of the Art of War.
The failure to succeed was tired to the failure to follow international laws. It turns out that they are there for very good reasons, chief being that breaking them leads to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Part of the failure in the attack on Afghansitan was a lack of moral authority within the country itself. Our pretense to gift them with democracy when they live in a tribal economy was shortsighted and disastrous. Following international laws would have prevented this humiliation.
That’s true!
I would be rather more careful in comparing operations from the past to Venezuella. Especially since Trump acts with such blatant disregard to any notion of American national interest, however you may define it. I do agree that the intentions matter much less than the actions themselves, but arguing that the ends justify the means is only possible in retrospect, not in the moment. In the moment we never know the results, and if the result is a world where rules matter less, this becomes rather tricky to argue that the ends were justified.
So yes, these may be viewed as separate, but only for past matters, not for ongoing
Consider the following possibility: The Iran war is not intended to be "won," in a classical sense. If the thinking (feels like a Bessent strategy, maybe with alignment with Rubio) is that the new Cold War equivalent is a multi-decade indirect war with China, then actions fit more sensibly into a strategy. The best vector to strike against China is via fossil fuels, which it must import. The best time to do so is now, before their gigantic investments in solar power can replace their fossil fuel vulnerability. Now, while Russia is limited in its ability to grow exports to China, take away Venezuela. Intentionally allow quagmires in both the Russia/Ukraine and Iran situation such that global oil exports are massively curtailed. Most global economies need imported fossil fuels like air to breathe. The US can hold its breath much longer than China. Small pain to the US; large pain to China. Playing around with the re-opening date of the Strait of Hormuz is torture and in fact part of the Art of War.