Trump boasts about the art of the deal. He knows nothing about the art of war

June 17, 2026 — 5:00am

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From the French Revolution through to early British parliamentary practice, and from prime ministers such as Winston Churchill to presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt, the idea that great power demands great responsibility has been something spoken of by those entrusted with political power, even if they did not always practise it.

The ill-fated Israeli and American plan to topple Iran’s nearly half-century-old theocratic regime, however, ignored that ideal to the plan’s detriment. It has become the latest example of politicians overestimating the ability of their military to effect political change, and underestimating the ability of their opponents to resist it.

The most frustrating thing about Donald Trump’s support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to change the political map of the Middle East is that Iran’s response was entirely predictable. Completely overmatched in the air and on the sea and unlikely to have to face a significant land threat, Tehran long ago understood that its arsenal of rockets, missiles and drones gave it strategic reach and leverage. By targeting directly Israel and Gulf states that hosted US forces, while closing off the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran could hit back at its main antagonist and impose an economic cost on the regional and global economies that Washington wouldn’t be able to ignore.

And so it came to pass. Tehran conducted its campaign in exactly the way any........

© Brisbane Times