Trump Plunges Towards Conflict He Pledged to Avoid

“With a single momentous decision to authorize a drone strike killing a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, President Trump immediately thrust himself into the center of a volatile and unpredictable region — taking his presidency into just the kind of foreign entanglement he pledged to avoid,” the Washington Post reports.

“Trump followed early Friday’s targeted strike on Qasem Soleimani — the leader of Iran’s special-operations forces abroad — with a decision Friday to send an additional 3,500 soldiers to the Middle East to respond to the heightened tensions.”

“Coming in quick succession, the drone strike and troop deployment cast Trump as a pivotal figure in what could be America’s next military conflict with a foreign power. The moves also underscored how Trump’s impulsive approach to the presidency can swiftly upend the status quo to produce a sense of disarray.”