OTTAWA—While the United States’ armed extravaganza in Iran has demonstrated the Americans’ tactical military prowess in unmistakably ferocious terms, its effect on President Donald Trump has been of another order.

As he thrashes about in an escalating war that is killing many thousands of people and wrecking the global economy, Trump appears to be undergoing a kind of shrinkage in his—and by extension, his country’s—stature.

The war has more than ever exposed the president as an impulsive, freakishly unpredictable photo-op addict with no concept of geopolitics, statesmanship, or military strategy. Accordingly, the attack on Iran has weakened the American economic landscape, splintered U.S. credibility, played into the hands of Washington’s adversaries, and eroded what is left of the pivotal post-war western security alliance.

If there is a western leader who has emerged from the Trump-inspired Middle East and global catastrophe, it is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His country’s expertise—thanks to Russia—in combatting today’s increasingly dominant drone warfare has raised his standing among the Gulf Arab states now under attack as Iran fights back against the massive U.S.-Israeli bombardments.

That role for Zelenskyy may bring in new partnerships and needed investment for Ukraine from........

© The Hill Times