Hi Wayne,

I think here you are talking about the message that Trump’s move sends back to the American voter? I agree with you that this type of an act looks good to the voters who want to be tough on the supposed enemies of the US. In communicating with his base, Trump is a master demagogue and understands what pushes people. I wrote about how he exploits the perceptions of certain demographic groups in order to shore up support.

However, what will this move achieve in practice? It might get him some support among the hawks, but will it improve the situation in the Middle East? Will it improve the situation for the US troops in the area? In my opinion it will make things worse. Just like Trump can use this to shore up support among hawks for himself, the Iranian hawks can use this to shore up support for themselves among the population back in Iran.