Trump’s wars: From ‘Peace President’ to Commander in Chief in conflicts he created across the world

So now, we are attacking Ecuador? War with Iran wasn’t enough?

President Trump (who campaigned as the self-proclaimed “peace president) threatened to use Spanish military bases as needed in this conflict, with or without their permission. He also threatened this longtime reliable ally with economic sanctions because it would not immediately yield to him.

He has rattled the American sword at allies such as Mexico, Panama, Canada, Denmark and Greenland. Who’s next? What country will we attack, invade or threaten?

The United States is at war with Iran after we joined with Israel to launch attacks last week. The goal is to overthrow the Islamic clerical regime that has created conflict in the region for more than four decades.

There is a growing demand for change and reform in Iran. Will this attack encourage the people to take to the streets and topple the government? That has been tried, and more than 7,000 protesters have been slaughtered by government forces.

Will this war make a difference?

Trump also said the reason he launched the attack was to stop the murderous oppression of the Iranian people, and to protect Israel, our other allies and American interests from a persistent threat caused by Iranian ballistic missiles. He also said he wanted to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability, although we were told a preemptive strike last year had already “obliterated” that threat.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing a difficult re-election campaign. He has long sought an American partner in an attack on Iran. Now, he has one.

Trump, plagued by rising prices and declining poll numbers, and pestered by the growing scandal of his ties to the notorious Jeffrey Epstein, seems in a warlike mood.

On March 3, the U.S. began military operations against “designated terrorist operations” within Ecuador. It’s the latest in a series of dozens of strikes against suspected smuggling vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans. At least 150 people are dead.

We raided Venezuela in January and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. They are being held in New York City on a variety of charges, including drug smuggling.

Are these proper uses of our military? Aren’t these police matters? But suddenly, we are firing missiles in numerous locations.

All this from a president who vowed to award $10 billion to his newly created Board of Peace. Trump said it will intervene in “hot spots” around the world and straighten things out.

But that was so last month. Right now, we are attacking.

What’s unclear is what we hope to accomplish. What will occur in Iran now that we have killed its longtime ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose reign will be remembered for its oppression and violence? While he will be largely unmourned, the elevation of his son, the hardliner Mojtaba Khamenei, might only mean more deaths among the Iranian people, more entrenchment, more bloodshed.

Has our government still not learned the lesson from hundreds of past excursions? When toppling a leader, who will step in? Will a change make things any better — or even worse? Could Iran descend into chaos, with multiple forces trying to seize power? It’s already in dire economic condition. Is there a plan when the fighting ends?

Will this latest war make the Middle East even more dangerous? We are seeing violence across the region, with American embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait struck, and the U.S. consulate in Dubai hit by a drone.

We have already felt the pain of this conflict, with six Americans killed in the opening days, including two from neighboring Iowa.

Trump’s reaction was curiously callous.

“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends,” he said. “That’s the way it is. Likely be more.”

Trump did better during the transfer of the fallen bodies of these heroes at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for the service members who were killed in Kuwait.

“Very sad situation, to greet the families of the heroes coming home from Iran, coming home in a different manner than they thought they’d be coming home,” he told Latin American leaders at the inaugural ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit held in Florida earlier Saturday. “But they’re great heroes in our country, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

That was much better compared to earlier insults and callous remarks he made about Sen. John McCain, who suffered greatly during his incarceration in North Vietnam, a war Trump skipped with “miraculously sprouting” bone spurs.

We are being told to trust Trump. An effort in the U.S. Senate to limit his ability to wage war without congressional authorization failed Wednesday. That is no surprise, as Republicans either completely support Trump or fear angering him and his dedicated followers.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said we must trust in Trump. Somehow, he knows best, even having the power to see into the future.

“The president had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the United States, was going to strike our assets in the region, and he made a determination to launch Operation Epic Fury based on all of those reasons,” Leavitt said.

Trump is in control. Our military will act on his orders and many people, including innocent kids, These are Trump’s wars — but we will all feel the pain.

Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.

Photo: Missile fired during Operation Epic Fury, public domain, wikimedia commons

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