Trump has no coherent strategy on Iran and the wider region; U.S expert

Dr. Edward Wastnidge who is Lecturer in Politics and International Studies believes that U.S power shows just how detached it is from the realities on the ground in the Middle East. He refers to the assassination of an Iranian commander and said the consequences could be enormous for the United States. The Islamic Republic of Iran has many avenues it can pursue in order to enact its justified and harsh revenge.

You can read his exclusive interview with ILNA news agency as follows:

Q: U.S president has personally ordered the assassination of the Iranian commander. How will the US action on Iraqi soil affect the Middle East?

A: ​The assassination of the Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian commander was a brazen act of international terrorism carried out by a reckless and dangerous madman in the White House. There is no place for such extra-judicial killings in international affairs.

Those in power in the US may like to think that this is a demonstration of its military might and reach, but really it shows just how detached it is from the realities on the ground in the Middle East.  To assume that they can carry out such brazen terrorist acts on the soil of a country that they are supposed to count as an ally demonstrates how arrogant they really are.

The consequences could be enormous for the United States. The Islamic Republic of Iran has many avenues it can pursue in order to enact its justified and harsh revenge. It is a measure of Trump's arrogance and clouded mental state that he assumes that such actions can be taken without provoking a response. You cannot kill a government official and national hero such as General Soleimani and then warn against any further escalation.  This is the hallmark of a hubristic imperial power that has miscalculated the level of opposition to its damaging policies in the region.

Q: President Trump, in his final comment, said he is not seeking war but had since planned to assassinate an Iranian commander; how do you evaluate this contradiction?

A: ​I think this is a clear illustration of the Trump administration's total lack of a coherent strategy on Iran and the wider region. It shows how petulant, misguided and incoherent his and his close aides' ideas are when it comes to Iran. They are so focused on seeing Iran as the enemy that they let this cloud every judgment that they make. I think the fact that he has key army veterans from the US occupation of Iraq and Afghan conflict helping drive his policy towards Iran doesn't help either. These are bitter old soldiers seeking to prolong US military engagement in the region despite Trump's own misgivings. It is a huge miscalculation on their part and an under-estimation of the power of the resistance movement. 

Q: On the other hand; isn't this a violation of Iraqi sovereignty?

A: ​Yes, this is most definitely a gross violation of Iraqi sovereignty.  But the US has been violating the rights of Iraqi citizens since it became an occupying force there after the fall of Saddam. Although it is an extreme action by the US, in a way it isn't that surprising given its history of subjugating other nations. It is an act of imperial arrogance but one that may actually mark the end of its oppression.  The Iraqi parliament has voted to remove US troops, and Trump now threatens them with sanctions - this confirms their status as an oppressive occupying power. The Iraqi people will re-assert their sovereignty by bravely challenging this imperial mindset.

Q: What is your assessment of the continuing tensions between Iran and the US?

A: ​The international news media is currently full of so-called experts ruminating over the possible responses of Iran to this aggression, and what this may mean for the future of Iran-US relations. Clearly, this is a very tense time, and the Islamic Republic will be also calculating its response very carefully.

This escalation by the US now makes the many US troops in the region legitimate targets, so it has had the opposite effect of supposedly protecting US interests, which the US used to justify the assassination.  It could be that the General Soleimani's greatest achievement comes as a result of his martyrdom - insofar as it could herald the start of a US withdrawal from Iraq and the wider region.

Q: What is your idea about threats of trump on twitter?

A: ​Trump's bellicose threats show just how mentally unstable he is. Of course, this is partly done to appeal to his support base at home, but what Trump has threatened amounts to war crimes. To say that you would target sites that are important to Iranian culture is nothing short of savagery.  By acting in this unhinged manner, he has managed to unite Iranians of all political leanings against him. He has done more than any public relations or political campaign could ever do, and he may well live to regret the consequences of his actions.

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