In February 2022, Vladimir Putin embarked on a military campaign against Ukraine he expected to last ten days. Four years later, Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran, which he also believed would last a mere ten days.
Both are now stuck in wars where success continues to elude them. Neither can claim to be winning – which for many means they’re losing. On Saturday, Trump said that an Iran peace deal was “largely negotiated”, with “final aspects and details” still being discussed, but it’s hard to envisage a deal that would look like a win for him.
Both leaders have fallen victim to their own delusions about the nature of modern warfare, particularly the kind they have unleashed. There is also a real prospect that both Putin and Trump face defeat, which will impact much of the world, the struggling south and Europe especially.
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In February 2022, Vladimir Putin embarked on a military campaign against Ukraine he expected to last ten days. Four years later, Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran, which he also believed would last a mere ten days.
Both are now stuck in wars where success continues to elude them. Neither can claim to be winning – which for many means they’re losing. On Saturday, Trump said that an Iran peace deal was “largely negotiated”, with “final aspects and details” still being discussed, but it’s hard to envisage a deal that would look like a win for him.
Both leaders have fallen victim to their own delusions about the nature of modern warfare, particularly the kind they have unleashed. There is also a real prospect that both Putin and Trump face defeat, which will impact much of the world, the struggling south and Europe especially.
No wonder they are looking for distractions.