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An in-depth look at how former President Donald Trump introduced a novel way of waging war against America’s foreign enemies, from targeting top adversaries like Qassem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to using overwhelming force and technological superiority to limit U.S. casualties. The article examines Trump’s key strategies, including “preventative deterrence,” targeting enemy leadership, avoiding nation-building, and leveraging American self-interest to justify military action.
Why it matters
Trump’s unique military strategies, which prioritize isolating strategic rivals like China and Russia, targeting high-profile adversaries, and avoiding protracted ground conflicts, have significantly reshaped how the U.S. engages in global conflicts. This approach has had major implications for U.S. foreign policy and its relationships with allies and adversaries around the world.
The details
The article outlines 10 key elements of Trump’s approach to warfare, including his focus on geostrategic concerns like isolating China, framing conflicts as “reckoning wars” for past crimes, using military force as an extension of ongoing negotiations, targeting enemy leadership over ground troops, avoiding nation-building, and showcasing American military might through dramatic displays of new weapons and technology. The author argues that while Trump’s methods have been controversial, they have also been largely effective in eliminating high-profile terrorist and authoritarian threats without protracted ground conflicts.
- In his first term, Trump eliminated Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
- In 2018, Trump ordered a strike that killed more than 200 Russian ground troops in Syria, the most Russians killed by the U.S. during the entire Cold War.
- In his second term, Trump widened his “preventative deterrence” doctrine, ordering operations to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and launching two bombing campaigns against Iran.
The players
Donald Trump
The former President of the United States who introduced a novel approach to waging war against America’s foreign enemies.
Qassem Soleimani
An Iranian general and terrorist kingpin who was eliminated by Trump in his first term.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
The former leader of ISIS who was killed by Trump in his first term.
Nicolás Maduro
The communist leader of Venezuela who was targeted for removal by Trump in his second term.
Ali Khamenei
The Supreme Leader of Iran, who was a target of Trump’s military campaigns against the country.
What they’re saying
“Trump always frames his interventionism as reactive and long overdue. It is a sort of “reckoning war” for previously overlooked crimes that his predecessors had ignored but are often seared in the American mind.”
— Victor Davis Hanson, Author (Townhall.com)
“Trump cares nothing for the UN’s condemnations, given its own moral bankruptcy and lack of credibility. For action outside Europe, he does not really consult NATO and much less the European Union.”
— Victor Davis Hanson, Author (Townhall.com)
What’s next
The current conflict over Iran is the greatest challenge that Trump has faced in either of his two terms, but given his past record, there is a good chance that he will eventually rid Iran of its theocracy.
The takeaway
Trump’s unique military strategies, which prioritize targeting high-profile adversaries, leveraging American technological superiority, and avoiding protracted ground conflicts, have significantly reshaped how the U.S. engages in global conflicts, with major implications for American foreign policy and its relationships worldwide.
