Addicted to the Wrong Choice After Exhausting the Right Ones

A quote commonly attributed to Winston Churchill reads: "You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing—after they have exhausted all the other possibilities." Today, however, the opposite seems increasingly true: the United States appears to choose the wrong course only after exhausting the right ones.

In recent years, the Trump administration has undermined a number of international agreements and institutions, including the Paris Climate Agreement and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). It has also challenged the rules of the World Trade Organization, weakened NATO, and distanced itself from long-standing allies. More troubling, however, is its willingness to engage in wars that lack a justifiable cause, clearly defined and attainable objectives, or a credible exit strategy.

At the end of this month, five years will have passed since the United States' chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. On October 7, 2001, Washington invaded one of the world's poorest and most unstable countries in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, claiming the objective was to combat terrorism. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans lost their lives, and approximately 2,400 American soldiers were killed. The United States attempted to rebuild Afghanistan but ultimately failed. Terrorism persisted, and Washington eventually concluded that withdrawal was its only option.

Since the American departure, the author argues, no comparable terrorist attack has occurred on U.S. soil. Earlier, in March 2003, the Bush administration invaded Iraq on the grounds that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and maintained ties to al-Qaeda—claims that were never substantiated. More than half a million Iraqis lost their lives, millions were displaced, and Iraq continues to bear the consequences of the invasion.

According to the author, President Trump is now moving toward repeating the same mistake with Iran: embarking on what he characterizes as an unjust and reckless military campaign without clear objectives or a viable exit strategy. In his view, the American-Israeli military campaign against Iran is gradually evolving into an open-ended conflict with no clear conclusion.

The issue, however, extends beyond Trump himself. Some scholars approach it from a broader philosophical perspective, arguing that empires and great powers inevitably pass through predictable life cycles. At their height, they are not only militarily strong but also confident in their ideas and principles. They believe it is their responsibility to do what is right in order to safeguard international order.

Although the United States has long relied on military intervention and the projection of power, it traditionally justified its actions through appeals to democracy, liberal values, and economic, technological, and humanitarian assistance. Its soft power served as one of its most effective instruments of global influence.

Today, however, deep domestic divisions among both political elites and ordinary citizens have encouraged the spread of isolationist ideas. Narratives centered on "America First" and the belief that the rest of the world exploits the United States have gained significant traction. The slogan "America First" has become increasingly popular, while Trump expanded it into his signature campaign message: "Make America Great Again."

In this worldview, America is responsible only for its own interests. Other nations are viewed primarily as adversaries, rivals, or competitors. Nationalist sentiment, xenophobia, and contempt for other societies, the author argues, have become more pronounced. Disputes with countries such as Iran, Venezuela, or Cuba are increasingly seen as problems to be resolved through force rather than diplomacy, a perspective that appears to enjoy growing public support.

As a result, there is no longer a broad national consensus on what constitutes the "right" policy. Measures such as imposing tariffs to protect American industries may be viewed as beneficial in some states while proving economically harmful to others—and certainly disruptive to the global trading system and America's international partners.

Some researchers therefore contend that the United States is experiencing a profound intellectual transformation, one that fundamentally alters the standards by which political success and failure are judged.

From this perspective, Trump is not the root cause of this shift but rather its catalyst. The deeper structural forces driving American politics, the author concludes, are pushing the United States toward embracing flawed choices after having once sought, however imperfectly, to pursue the right ones.

Originally published in Al-Masry Al-Youm (Egypt).