"Military morale, alliances, and Washington’s global standing are all at stake in how Trump navigates the bind," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes.
"Europe is clearly not happy. It's not a war that they were consulted about. It's not a war that they've chosen," says Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri.
"Taking negotiations public is like setting sail in a squall: You’re betting you can harness the popular and geopolitical winds to make way, rather than get blown off course," Council Lester Crown Senior Nonresident Fellow Suzanne Nossel writes.
"It really puts Europe in a difficult position. On the one hand, they're frustrated that they've been left out in the cold for this entire operation," says Council Distinguished Nonresident Fellow Julianne Smith. "On the other hand, . . . they're also recognizing that they need the strait to be open."
"The conditions that typically produce short wars—a decisive military advantage, an adversary willing to negotiate, and a clear political end game—are conspicuously absent in this conflict," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Paul Poast and Pegah Banihashemi write.
"America's allies and partners were not asked to come along until after the strikes began. There was no real process in building a consensus," Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri said. "Now they're scrambling."
"A nuclear resurgence will bring hard questions, especially for the United States, which risks ceding ground to Russia and China if it fails to act," Council Senior Nonresident Fellow Rachel Bronson writes.
"To see that a new leader has emerged that has a strong intention to strike American bases, to keep American interests out of the region, that is a very tough message," says Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri.
"There’s a real ambiguity here: How closely are the United States and Israel aligned right now?" says Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri. "If the United States were to decide ‘game over, we’re done, we’re sort of withdrawing,’ it’s not at all clear that Israel will follow suit."
"It's absolutely critical that the president speak as a leader, that he accept responsibility, that he apologize, and that he articulate to the American people and to his own troops what's being done to rectify this so that it doesn't happen again," says Council President and CEO Leslie Vinjamuri.
