The US administration has unveiled its new national strategy to combat terrorism in a sixteen-page document. Though ostensibly outlining the future security strategy of the United States, Donald Trump's record on the one hand shows the persistence of crisis-inducing behaviors by this structure both at home and abroad, behaviors rooted in a failure to learn from successive defeats and the dire state of the country's domestic and foreign policy; a situation that has victimized even Europe, America's NATO ally. On the other hand, Trump, to justify this national strategy, employs keywords and rhetoric that bear no alignment with ground realities, just as the Ramadan War demonstrated that "America First" no longer holds any meaning or substance. Moreover, no rationality can be observed among White House officials, nor has the "peace through war" strategy produced anything but failure and the imposition of hundreds of billions of dollars in costs on America and its allies, while simultaneously exposing the hollowness of US military might and the components of American power more than ever before.
Collapse of the "America First" Slogan on the Ground of Reality
Trump continues trying to justify his actions to critics by repeating the "America First" slogan, even though one of the most significant consequences of the Ramadan War was the exposure of this very claim as false. As Joe Kent, the US counterterrorism official, explicitly acknowledged in his resignation letter: Iran posed no threat to America, and Trump entered the war solely for the sake of Israel.
Today, it has become clear to the American public that "America First" was nothing but a political deception, and that the country's ruling structure rests on just two principles: first, fulfilling Israel's demands; second, profiteering by Trump, his family, and his inner circle. The heavy costs imposed on the US economy following its complicity in the Zionist regime's warmongering against Iran, alongside the billions of dollars Trump's family and associates have reaped from this crisis in financial markets, are concrete manifestations of this reality.
Lack of Rationality in the US Decision-Making Structure
Trump speaks of "common sense," yet his fifteen-month presidential record shows that his decisions are based not on reason and logic but within a framework of delusions and fantasies, illusory notions rooted in the economic and profit-driven nature of his character. Today, the majority of American society is dissatisfied with his continued presidency; America's traditional allies, from Europe and Canada to East Asian countries, are distancing themselves from Washington; and international law has been effectively weakened by the US. The result of this situation is the country's inability to build global consensus, Trump could not even bring NATO into the field to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Daily and contradictory changes in Trump's behavior, which are themselves the product of his successive failures, including the hasty implementation and subsequent abandonment of plans such as the so-called "Project Freedom" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the dismissal of senior military commanders, the appointment of someone like Hegseth, with no military background or credentials, as Secretary of War, the removal of the diplomatic apparatus from global equations, and entrusting affairs to inexperienced and unqualified figures such as Kushner and Witkoff, all indicate that there is effectively no rationality in the US decision-making structure, and that Trump decides based on illusion and fantasy; decisions that result in glaring contradictions and sweeping changes in his stated and implemented policies.
Ramadan War: Failure of ‘Peace Through War’ Strategy
Throughout his presidency, Trump repeatedly ignited various wars under the slogan "peace through war," claiming victory each time. The Ramadan War was the latest example of this approach, a war designed and executed with the aim of regime change, the dismemberment of Iran, the destruction of its nuclear and military capabilities, and ultimately the subjugation of Iran in favor of the Zionist regime.
Trump spoke of a swift victory in just a few days, yet Iran's military might and resilience, along with the shrewd management of the Strait of Hormuz, completely upended all those calculations, while atrocities such as the Minab school massacre forever exposed America's true anti-human rights nature. Furthermore, the economic consequences of the Ramadan War on the US and global economies laid bare the decline of Washington's economic hegemony, following the revelation of the hollowness of its military power.
Today, the world has realized that "peace through war" is merely a reproduction of Wild West thinking, a mindset with no goal other than world domination. At the same time, Iran's strength in the Ramadan War proved that America cannot stand firm against resistance, so much so that Trump, whether on the path of war or negotiation, will ultimately be the loser.
Europe: A Humiliated Ally in the New US Strategy
One significant aspect of the new US document is the continuation of a contemptuous and reproachful stance toward Europe. Trump, who in his strategy last year described Europe as a decaying, inefficient civilization and demanded an increase in the continent's share of NATO's budget as well as the implementation of US policies to combat immigration, has repeated the same contemptuous approach in the new version.
The position defined for Europe in America's national strategy shows that the transatlantic rift is widening; the planned withdrawal of five thousand US troops from Germany and the imposition of 25 percent tariffs on European car imports to the US are clear signs of this situation. On the other hand, Trump, having failed to dominate other regions of the world, especially West Asia, now sees European countries as the last remaining arena for bullying and seeks to exploit their security and economic weaknesses to impose political domination.
This approach has been met with strong protests and divergences within the European Union and could ultimately lead to the collapse of NATO and the fraying of transatlantic ties.
Claim of Counterterrorism: A Cover for Undermining Security and Seeking Domination
Combating "narco-terrorists," "transnational gangs," "old radical terrorists," and "violent left-wing extremists" are among the stated pillars of the new US strategy. This claim comes as Trump, on the one hand, has granted pardons to Capitol attackers, offered official support to far-right movements in Europe, and fully aligned himself with the Zionist regime, revealing his own extremist nature, while his purported fight against extremism is merely a cover for suppressing opponents.
On the other hand, America's extensive support for the state terrorism of the Zionist regime, the rise of groups such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham under the leadership of Jolani, the Minab massacre, and the assassination of Iran's political-spiritual leader all demonstrate the terrorist nature of Trump's policies—thus he cannot credibly claim to be fighting terrorism.
When Trump openly declares that he will behave like pirates in international waterways, it is only natural that the global community rejects his claim of combating drug trafficking. Hence, America's national strategy in this area is nothing but a justification for continued warmongering and aggressive behavior, such as what occurred in Venezuela.
Trump's practical conduct has shown that his national strategy arises not from creating security but from undermining security in service of personal interests and the objectives of the Zionist regime. However, the Ramadan War and Iran's strength have already upended all his previous calculations, and given America's mounting domestic and foreign crises, the failure of this alleged strategy is hardly far-fetched.