Donald Trump is on a roll. After the success of his audacious move to capture the dictator of Venezuela, the US president has urged on anti-regime protesters in Iran and repeatedly touted American intervention to “rescue” them from a murderous crackdown by the authorities. He has been debating options with his advisers; military action now seems an imminent possibility. Yet US involvement in Iran carries even more risks, and has even more unknowable consequences, than in Venezuela.
For a president who returned to office with an America First mantra, Trump has been extraordinarily engaged with the rest of the world — not just in terms of policy but direct intervention. In recent weeks alone he has launched air strikes on Isis targets in Nigeria and Syria, even before turning his attentions to Venezuela and Iran, and issued threats against Cuba, Colombia and Greenland.
Making use of America’s military might has long been a temptation for White House occupants, especially when ratings are waning at home. Successive administrations have nursed a particular yearning for revenge for Iran’s humiliating seizure of American hostages in 1979 and attacks on US bases by Iran-sponsored groups.