This article was posted on the JNS website on April 12, 2026:

The Toxic Cocktail Blinding the West By Moshe R. Manheim

The criticism of the war against Iran reflects a misreading shaped by three reinforcing factors. It is the product of a toxic combination: a reflexive rejection of anything associated with Donald Trump, a deeply human tendency toward minimization and avoidance, and a growing normalization of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Together, these forces distort perception so thoroughly that even the causes of the war become subject to doubt, reinterpretation, and, at times, outright inversion.

Much of the Western reaction has been filtered through the figure of Donald Trump. His critics have focused as much on his tone and often imprecise articulation as on the substance of the conflict itself. The problem is not simply that Trump is polarizing; it is that his polarizing presence has become a substitute........

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