As of this writing, we’ve entered the fourth day of an illegal war that has swept a dozen nations into its inferno. What is apparent is that this is an imperialist and hegemonic war in which the U.S., Israel, and Saudi Arabia have competing but complementary interests in rendering Iran as close to a failed state as possible.

Who is whose proxy is debatable: the Saudis, though annoyed with Israel’s adventurism, are quite happy to see Israel expend its resources (as well as those of the U.S.) on punishing Iran. For Israel, this is an opportunity to further the quest for a Greater Israel, securing not only Gaza and the West Bank but parts of Syria, Lebanon, and beyond. For the U..S, it is part of the long colonialist desire to control resources, particularly oil, by keeping all regional states fractious and fragmented.

But also there are domestic reasons for this war, coming when it has. It is evident that President Trump’s regime is at the verge of collapse. Trump’s policies, such as his capricious use of tariffs to bully, are ruinous. His regime of abduction, detention, and deportation by ICE are deemed reprehensible by most folks in the U.S. And the broader economic issues — such as tax breaks for the most wealthy, the implosion of Social Security and Medicare trusts (both projected to be insolvent within 15 years according to the CBO, and the divergence between wages and the cost of living — have made clear that the regime has no interest in our well-being.

Domestically, this war is designed as a distraction. Like all this century’s overseas military adventures by the U.S., there was little thought given to what happens after the bombing ends. To wage a war for the sake of distraction does not need to consider the aftermath. And the distraction? Of course, it is the Epstein files, where Trump is clearly guilty of a host of crimes, including pedophilia, rape, human trafficking, money laundering, and more. Revelations come daily — as do the coverups and evasions. Like Netanyahu, Trump acts out of self-preservation. Should Congress fall into Democratic control, he will face impeachment and his policies will wilt. Netanyahu faces a similar backlash.

But it would be wrong to consider Netanyahu and Trump as joined at the hip by a mutual interest in evading prosecution as the sole motivation. Israel — and the Palestinians — has been a means of keeping the region divided and simmering: In the guise of support, the U.S. has used Israel as basically a local policeman. Moreover, Israel is simply a tool for the Christian Nationalists, Trump’s most loyal base. Why else would Trump place one of the most rabid Christian Nationalist politicians, Mike Huckabee, as Ambassador to Israel. Or, earlier, to move the U.S. embassy to the Christian holy site of Jerusalem? Or, as has been reported, commanders at dozens of U.S. military bases in the region telling their troops this new war is a religious war, a Christian crusade?

But that, too, is a distraction, albeit useful. For Trump, this is a war to protect his and his family’s interests. The Trump family have placed much of their wealth and financial endeavors with the Saudis. To ensure that the Saudis become the hegemon of the region — not Israel, not Iran, not the U.A.E., not Qatar — is of immense benefit to the Trump family.

One might retort that, as Rubio put forward, the U.S. entered into combat only because the Israelis preemptively struck. This is preposterous. The U.S. escalated their already substantial naval assets to the region as soon as the Venezuelan adventure concluded (ironically the Maduro apparatus remains in power). There was no indication that Iran was considering any military operation, nor that it was expanding nuclear production for military purposes. The U.S. had laid plans, however, for combat operations well in advance. And they were activated on the very day that the Omanis announced that negotiations with Iran about nuclear arms (was that really an issue one must ask in retrospect) were close to reaching an agreement.

Odd, but not so odd as any agreement would lead to an Iran that was not weak, and possibly an Iran that could evolve into a pluralistic state (a very real possibility as Khamenei was losing his own bloody grip) such as existed before the U.S. and the UK installed the Shah in 1953 at the request of multinational oil companies. A strong and pluralistic state would be an anathema to both Israel and Saudi Arabia. And as such a potential disaster to the Trump family’s interests as they are locked in with the Saudis. In the 10 years since Trump’s first presidency, he and his family have enriched themselves alongside and through their relations with the Saudis.

Remember that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, founded Affinity Partners, a private equity firm that derives most of its funds from the Saudi government’s sovereign wealth fund. During Trump’s first term, Kushner brokered major arms sales to the Saudis. He also floated a redevelopment scheme for Gaza in 2024 that if, in his words, “cleaned up” would be “valuable waterfront property.”

Kushner accompanies Steve Witkoff to almost all negotiations involving the Middle East; not vetted, not confirmed, Kushner is there to ensure representation of the Trump family interests. Kushner, part of the billionaire class, is not alone. Both Eric and Don Jr. have Trump family interests throughout the region — from cryptocurrency to predictive market betting to property acquisition. There is a bottom line: What is good for the Saudis is good for the Trumps.

This is not an argument about who initiated this war, but why this war is necessary for Trump. All the pieces were there in terms of imperial and hegemonic struggles. But hegemonic struggles do not take into account the lives of ordinary people. An imperial state — the ideal of the GOP and MAGA — utilize confrontations for their self-preservation and to ensure that they, the elite, can continue to amass power by any means possible. ICE terrorism, voter suppression, and an unconstitutional war with Iran, form a continuum where power is concentrated in a few. (And to delude the many to believe that they are among the few.)

When the elite, such as Trump, are threatened, there are no restraints — Trump has disregarded the rule of law and the Constitution at every turn, both in his private life and as president. This war was launched to preserve and extend Trump’s power, and to preserve what he, his family, and his closest cohorts have gained through their corrupt actions and rampant abuse of power and privilege. Remember, Trump claimed that Obama would drag us into a war with Iran; this same Trump ran as the “peace president” and demanded a Nobel Prize.

This is a war that Trump devised for his own preservation. Until his regime is permanently removed from power, corruption — paid by our tax dollars and our lives — will continue.

James McCorkle is a longtime resident of Geneva and a frequent contributor to the Finger Lakes Times opinion page.

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