The American attack on Iran on the night of the summer solstice marks a turning point—one with no return.
Not so much for its potential to trigger escalation, but for the way it was carried out.
If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time in at least a century that the United States has entered a war unilaterally, outside its immediate sphere of influence—its traditional “backyard”—where, under the Monroe Doctrine, its very survival might be at stake.
When Israel bombed Iran, it cited the doctrine of preemptive self-defense. Washington didn’t even bother with that.
The line crossed by the United States is not a minor one. Never before has the White House acted without the involvement of international frameworks—be it NATO, the UN, or regional coalitions. Not even during the invasion and devastation of Iraq, which had the backing of almost all Arab states—and, most notably, of Iran.
It had never denied itself the cover of a hypocritical, yet legal, pretext. Not even when, following the collapse of the USSR, it emerged as the world’s sole superpower. There was still an understanding that abandoning appearances altogether would be unwise.
To do so now—within an asymmetric bipolar world, interconnected, fragmented, and defined by shifting alliances—is an enormous risk.
Trump is betting on a system of bilateral relationships, each one subordinated to the United States. But the danger that this approach could ultimately weaken rather than strengthen American influence is far from negligible.
Yes, power dynamics often outweigh formalities—but to openly scorn formality makes it far harder for those on the receiving end to accept subordination without pretense.
The sophisticated and finely tuned machinery of democratic hypocrisy risks being dismantled by the very hands that built it—from within the same temple where it has thrived, insidious and resilient, for over eight decades.
Trump’s wager—like that of all today’s blunt operators—is on the club, not the bow or the foil.
In a world becoming ever more primitive and brutal, they believe they can dominate like gorillas.
But that’s far from certain.
What matters most is that—without intending to, and likely without realizing it—they are undermining the subtle psyche that underpins their own power.
We may be in for quite a spectacle. At the very least, we can hope so.
