Regime change was the plan, but Trump finds it easier to change plans than regimes. Another push for regime change is possible, but no one should be surprised by retreat to lesser goals. The Kremlin didn’t care about Ukrainian sovereignty when pursuing regime change in Kyiv, and is gratified to see Washington taking the same line with Tehran. Such distinctions are important for rebutting Putin’s cynical exercises in bogus moral equivalence, but not sufficient as justification for Trump’s war. It assumes that one man’s exercise of military power, unchecked by rule of law and without regard for economic consequence, redounds to greater US glory.

Source: The Guardian March 11, 2026 09:30 UTC