“Discounting the enemy’s ability to adapt is also a trait of megalomaniacal leaders—many of whom choose advisers who tell them what they want to hear and suppress information that would make them unhappy.”
Latest in @theatlantic.com . Much like Putin in 2022, Trump did not seem to realize that the enemy has a say in how a war turns out. The US seems to have started this war thinking Iran would not react effectively. I hope it does not pay the price. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Just the dumbest motherfuckers
The US government is being putinized by trump, before our eyes.
His cabinet members are humiliating themselves with comical shoes to show that they will not think independently 👇
What is staggering is how easy and quick the process has been: how a cynical liberal estanblishment has been so effortlessly displaced by half-witted but energetic despots.
Hi all, just sent out this piece. The US bombing of Iran has revealed a great deal already, maybe most worryingly how far down the road to Putinizing the US Government Trump has already walked. We even have the humiliatingly comic shoes to prove it. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...
You know, when you think about it, its like the USA today is being run by a fraudulent businessman who bankrupted every business he ever ran except those bankrolled by the Russians or after he used political power for personal financial gain.
Exactly like that.
More and more, Trump is making US institutions behave like Putin’s Russian versions. This was an immediate military coverup of something that should have been admitted:
More and more rot.
This is what I mean about early signs of rot in the US military under Trump. This was an early strike in what we were told was a well planned and resourced effort. Now it looks like a fundamental and easy to correct error was made.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/u...
3) Iran attacks some merchant ships in the Gulf and there are reports that Iran has deployed a small number of mines.
4) Trump says the war is a great success and looks desperately around for a way to end it.
Its breathtaking strategic incompetence battling with out of complete ignorance.
Let me take you through the last 48 hours.
1) The Trump administration panics because Iran threatens to block all trade through the Straits of Hormuz.
2) Trump threatens to commit mass war crimes and biblical levels of destruction if Iran does this.
www.axios.com/2026/03/11/t...
Well worth a read. Watch for whether Israel continues to target Iran’s oil production and other energy/industry infrastructure.
This is worth reading as a neat summary of the #US #Israel #Iran conflict.
In short:
• Trump, the DOD and the State Department don’t agree on the aims or the plan
• Trump is more concerned with the midterms and therefore the price of oil ($88/bl as of now) may determine when the war ends.
Also, how is US public opinion reacting to the attacks and what would herald an end of the war.
In the spirit of my weekend updates on the Russo-Ukraine War, I will aim to produce a free midweek update on the US/Israeli attack on Iran (which hopefully will not go on much longer). Here is the first. Watch for splits between the US and Israel. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...
Good Lord, Trump seems to have forgotten that in war, your enemy gets a vote. If the Iranians read this, they will understand he is terrified and desperate, and probably speed up the mining of the straits. Worst war leader in US history.
"What we are seeing are states increasingly unconcerned (maybe even excited by) the commitment of war crimes while using ranged weapons. This template is something we are seeing by the 🇺🇸 in the Caribbean and which we have seen by 🇷🇺 for years, and which is typical of all sides in the Middle East."
TIL Trump didn't bother to refill the strategic petroleum reserve last year when oil was dirt cheap. what can you even say www.ft.com/content/d546...
Here is the conclusion of the piece.
With Trump openly threatening to commit war crimes on a historic scale, I am making this piece I wrote last November free. It hypothesizes that the future of war will be a combination of ranged fires and war crimes. It has come faster than expected. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...
The President of the USA is now openly threatening Iran with being the target of one of the greatest crimes in world history. Trump is saying he will destroy the basis of life for more than 90 million people.
He should be removed from office for this.
Ah, so this is all the Iranian people’s fault.
So is this Trump looking to throw in the towel?
If this is actually the new set of strategic goals, the Trump administration is admitting that they have strategically failed and this has been a disaster.
Hey, maybe those tankers have bone spurs!
Just a reminder it’s been two days since reports came out, later acknowledged by Trump and his Administration, that Russia has been helping Iran to try and kill US military personnel.
And the Trump response so far has been...drum roll please...to reduce sanctions on Russia!
Just sent out this post. Having started much of the discussion about the US having no strategic aims in Iran, I think now that this is missing something. Trump personally has a very consistent and openly stated goal. There is a Donroe Doctrine he wants to impose. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...
Trump's decision to bomb Iran is now the greatest windfall to the Russian war effort on record. If it continues, it might save the Russian war economy.
EXACTLY!!!!!
Trump is today telling every member of the US military that it is ok with him if Russia helps Iran kill them--every one.
Once again Americans, Trump looks at US military personnel as suckers and losers that he can sacrifice for his own glory and profit. This is who leads
