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LetMyPeopleVote

(182,291 posts)
Sat May 23, 2026, 09:02 PM 12 hrs ago

Trump's Endgame Is Surrender (Gift Link)

He seems to hope to slip away without Americans noticing the magnitude of this defeat.

Trump’s Endgame Is Surrender

He seems to hope to slip away without Americans noticing the magnitude of this defeat.

Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) 2026-05-22T12:12:11.599Z

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/05/trump-surrender-iran-endgame/687252/?gift=hVZeG3M9DnxL4CekrWGK3z7P5ziNahM4p4Y6XS3ozvg&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

The outlines of President Trump’s endgame in the Iran war are now emerging. In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Trump reportedly explained that the United States was negotiating a “letter of intent” with Iran that would “formally end the war and launch a 30-day period of negotiations” on Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The purpose and effect of such an agreement should be clear: The United States is walking away from the crisis. Trump may launch another limited strike to look tough and satisfy the demands of the war’s supporters, but it would be a performative gesture. Endgame in this case is a euphemism for “surrender.”.....

Several nations, including South Korea, Turkey, and Iraq, are reportedly already negotiating at least temporary transit agreements. Now that Trump has made clear he has no intention of fighting to reopen the strait, the stampede to get good terms with Tehran will begin. All nations heavily dependent on energy from the Persian Gulf will want to cut their deal quickly to get the oil and gas and other commodities flowing and rescue their battered economy. Those nations currently allied with the United States and friendly to Israel will feel pressure to distance themselves and make their peace with Iran. The international sanctions against Iran will collapse, and even more money will pour into the country’s accounts as its newly central role in the global economy becomes normalized. By the end of 30 days, most of the world will have a stake in the new arrangement and will oppose any resumption of hostilities, even in the unlikely event that Trump wanted to go back to war.

Trump no doubt hopes that he can slip away without Americans noticing the magnitude of this defeat. The financial markets may stabilize if it is clear that oil will eventually start flowing again through a reopened strait, even if under the new Iran-controlled system. A major strategic setback for the United States need not affect Wall Street. The president may also hope that he can change the subject by launching another military operation, this time against the government in Cuba. And the news media have indeed begun writing more about Cuba than about the unfolding disaster in Iran.

According to one U.S. official, Netanyahu’s “hair was on fire” after the call with Trump—for good reason. The Iran war may end up as the single most devastating blow to Israel’s security in its brief history. On the present trajectory, Iran will emerge from the conflict many times stronger and more influential than it was before the war. It will exercise leverage with dozens of the richest nations in the world, all of which will have an acute interest in keeping Iran happy. They will be unlikely to take Israel’s side in any conflict that it has with Tehran or with its proxies in Lebanon and Gaza, because Iran will have the means to punish them if they do. Israel will emerge more isolated than it has been at any time in its history—and not least from its only reliable protector, the United States. When Trump turns his back on Israel, as he must do to implement this policy, MAGA will gladly follow. The bipartisan anti-Israel consensus in the United States will grow and harden.
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Trump's Endgame Is Surrender (Gift Link) (Original Post) LetMyPeopleVote 12 hrs ago OP
Let him slip away to Tombstone. usonian 11 hrs ago #1
A Truly Remarkable Display of Petulance, Stupidity, and Stubborn (of Course, Misplaced) Vanity The Roux Comes First 10 hrs ago #2

usonian

(26,623 posts)
1. Let him slip away to Tombstone.
Sat May 23, 2026, 10:14 PM
11 hrs ago

Buried in a TAN FUCKING SUIT



And let's send him off in style. (additions welcome!)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100221255868

for his "last ride"

The Roux Comes First

(2,328 posts)
2. A Truly Remarkable Display of Petulance, Stupidity, and Stubborn (of Course, Misplaced) Vanity
Sat May 23, 2026, 11:28 PM
10 hrs ago

Rare even for minor short-term dictators in third-world countries, as far as I know.

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