Realpolitik at play: Trump's latest Iran move could lead US into a costly war

AMONG the many pledges that Donald Trump made when he was running for the presidency in 2016 was to end America's "endless wars" in the Greater Middle East.

Blasting former Republican president George W Bush and members of Washington's foreign policy establishment for the decision to invade Iraq and oust its dictator Saddam Hussein from power, Candidate Trump stressed that, under his presidency, there would be no more US-led regime change crusades and nation-building adventures in the Middle East, like those that had taken place in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.

President Trump would set aside fantasies about democracy promotion, and as a proponent of realpolitik foreign policy, his decisions on national security would be determined by the considerations of US geostrategic interests even if that meant doing business and making deals with regimes that do not share American values.