A War Begun on Instinct

Hanna Rosin: “The advantage of a gut-driven war decision is that it can yield sudden dramatic results. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been a brutal Iranian dictator for nearly four decades. Past American presidents have weighed taking him on, and then decided against it. After Trump ordered strikes, Khamenei was dead within 24 hours.”

“The disadvantage is that following your gut doesn’t account for the past or the future. Trump did not confer with most of our allies, and barely alerted Congress, let alone sought their approval. He did not seem to think through who would succeed Khamenei, or at least, what would happen if certain successors aren’t available.”