When, and if, the Iran war ends, there is no guarantee that peace will prevail. If Trump’s track record holds, a militaristic US will look for a fight elsewhere
In all the criticisms, jibes and jeers against Donald Trump, a larger and a more sinister reality is being missed out which is that the nation he presides over, the United States, is possibly at heart a military state, hidden under the benevolent form of a democracy.
Trump, by his insouciant and questionable missile strikes against Iran, has willy-nilly exposed the US’s well-hidden character, that of a nation willing to do anything to pummel the world into submission. In militarily attacking Iran the way it has—twice in two years—the US has run out of reasons, excuses and motives to justify its action. As Trump’s recent 15-point missive shows, nothing short of Iran’s sovereignty will satisfy him.
Starting off last June to ostensibly destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, the US later added as its target the Islamic regime’s ballistic missile programme and then “regime change” to now wanting Tehran to free the “Strait of Hormuz” which paradoxically was open for all when the missile strikes began on February 28.
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The maverick US President may have been caught out by his buccaneering style and appears to be in a tangle over how to get out of this one but the world is not amused. His closest allies in Europe are already drifting away from him, nauseated by the massive loss of lives and needless destruction for a yet-to-be-ascertained reason.
Beyond Trump: A history of US military expeditions
Trump-bashing may be the logical go-to this season, but that would amount to missing the point as previous US presidents too undertook similar expeditions for outlandish reasons. Who can forget George W Bush’s claim of Saddam Hussein’s link to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and later his “Weapons of Mass Destruction” that powered the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. (That cost USD 770 billion in arms expenditure alone, according to a Reuters report.) Or, Barack Obama’s barrage of controversial drone attacks over Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia numbering around 563 in his two terms, 10 times more than under the Bush administration. Obama’s drones officially killed around 350 “civilians”, but the real numbers could be far more. Let’s see how.
The US, over the decades, has perfected the art of appearing to share information while in reality dressing up facts. Obama attempted to make drone usage accountable and transparent even as he revved up its usage. A report quoting the New York Times pointed out that a rule during Obama’s time made it mandatory to publicise civilian casualties. But, the disputed definition of “civilian” wherein any “able-bodied youth” was categorized as “combatant” and therefore “enemy killed in action” lowered the numbers of civilian death, enabling a cover-up of actual number of innocents killed by the drones.
Though the US had bitter experiences in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, none of Trump’s predecessors can beat him in the audacious manner in which he has supervised the disrobing of American democracy and empowering the military state. More on this later.
A two-faced state and military spending
In the past, the US loosely adhered to the principles of natural justice and democratic processes when it came to military actions abroad but was far more circumspect when it came to internal democracy. Citizens and residents of the US could hope for fairness and justice within a country that attracted vast numbers of people from around the world who came in search of the so-called “American Dream”.
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The two-faced state camouflaged the US’s hidden character, dominated by its military-industrial complex. Two years ago, the US spent a humongous USD 997 billion on its military, which is expected to go up to USD 1.5 trillion this year. China, the second biggest global spender on weapons came far behind at USD 314 billion in 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The US’s emergence as a super-power in many ways is directly proportional to its military might and expertise in covert action. Once its rival, the Soviet Union, disappeared from the scene, Washington’s military aggrandisement has surpassed all limits.
The military-industrial complex and political influence
A country that spends trillions of dollars making state-of-the-art weapons also needs to use them to continue feeding the insatiable armament machine—with the support of an elected government. Military contractors have spent upwards of USD 100 million over the last two decades on candidates contesting at various levels of power, including of course for President. According to OpenSecrets.org, a non-profit organization tracking money in politics, the military industry spent over $139 million on lobbying in 2023.
It points out that “to bolster its lobbying efforts, the military industry also heavily invests in political campaigns and committees.” The military industry includes Pentagon contractors, industry political action committees and related outside groups. The funders expect candidates who are elected to power to create demand for weapons through conflicts, directly or indirectly. So, no surprises that even an individual like Obama who was viewed as moderate and reasonable had to perforce figure out ways to use up the vast stocks of weapons for contestable reasons, including for the so-called war on terror.
Biden, NATO, and the Ukraine war
Or take Joe Biden. A vastly experienced politician and administrator, he showed he was no different from anyone else by instigating Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into challenging Russia’s Vladimir Putin on the NATO issue.
Also read: US readies to deploy its most lethal long-range missiles as Iran holds its ground: Report
It was not as if Ukraine had to perforce join the western military alliance NATO at this time in history. Yet, prodded by Biden, Ukraine provoked its neighbour Russia by showing needless urgency to join NATO, an organisation which Putin views as an existential threat. The resulting invasion by Putin has ignited a full-fledged war, raging for the last four years with no end in sight.
And, the US arms industry is happily basking in all the profits it is raking at the expense of the incredible destruction of Ukraine. The US is the biggest arms donor, giving weapons to Ukraine worth nearly USD 70 billion. Mind you, Ukraine, after all the disaster that has befallen on it is on the losing side, having lost a vast swathe in its east, bordering Russia. But Biden has done his bit for the US arms industry and gone into retirement.
Trump’s hollow promise of peace
That was the reason why the world, and most surely the US arms lobby, was surprised when Trump proclaimed he would be like to be known as the “peacemaker” as he ascended into his second term in office. His oft-repeated claim of ending the Russia-Ukraine war in one day has long gone with the wind. Forget one day, he has not been able to achieve this even one year after he became president.
Looking back, it is no surprise that Trump’s promise to be a votary for peace turned out so hollow.
When Trump took over as president from Obama in January 2017, he swept aside accountability that Obama had tried to bring in. Obama had brought in a law that mandated Congressional approval for the usage of Congress drones. Trump simply ignored these restrictions. So much so, though the instances of terror acts reduced, the US drone strikes under Trump spiralled far more than during Obama’s times.
The non-profit Institute for Youth in Policy points out that despite constant reduction in terrorist incidents, in Trump 1.0’s first two years there were 238 drone strikes versus Obama’s 186 over Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia.
Authoritarian drift in Trump’s second term
In the last 14 months since he returned to office for the second term, Trump has managed to turn the so-called American way of life on its head. Reports have variously documented the slide of the US into authoritarianism. In the first two months, Trump passed 100 executive orders compared to Biden’s 164 during his four years.
Also read: Trump says “Cuba is next,” signals possible US military action
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, fattened by huge Trump funding, literally chased and accosted common people on the streets in an attempt to ascertain if they were illegal migrants. They shot dead innocent people who resisted these attempts—these scenes could have matched that of any dictatorship in the world.
Trump has simply throttled the idea of the US being this great aspirational democracy. The military state was now visible to all and how. As of February 2026, some 650 Americans have been charged for questioning ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents, according to a Reuters investigation. Some eight people have even been killed during ICE action.
Mass job losses and militarism against Iran
In Trump’s second term, an estimated 300,000 well-settled American citizens in comfortable, secure government jobs were overnight out on the streets, either sacked, resigned or forced to quit—by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency headed by an unelected maverick technocrat meant to do just that.
Along with its vassal, the Jewish military state of Israel, the US under Trump is now draining its arsenal of missiles on top of Iran—the quantities so large it will keep the American military-industrial complex humming for decades. As for Iran, it is paying the price for the rest of the world’s abject surrender to the US’s military supremacy.
But that is not all. When, and if, the Iran war ends, there is no guarantee that peace will prevail. If Trump’s track record holds, a militaristic US will look for a fight elsewhere. Maybe Greenland, Canada or most certainly in his neighbourhood, Cuba.
