Iran: an unwinnable war

On May 21, acting U.S. Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said it's okay, don't panic. The grown-ups are still in charge. Our timely threats have deterred the Iranians from doing the evil things they were planning to do, and so there’s no danger of a war. I’d really like to believe him. But actually, nobody’s in charge.

Everything then went quiet until another loud-mouthed extremist, U.S. President Donald Trump, tore up the 2015 agreement and began talking about war with Iran again, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

May 27, 2019

LONDON, U.K.—“After a long debate, the highest levels of the military could not forecast a way in which things would end favourably for the United States,” said Richard Clarke, counter-terrorism adviser in the White House under three administrations. That was back in 2007, and he was talking a...

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