Oman

From Strength to Chaos: The Growing Risks of Trump’s Foreign Policy

From Strength to Chaos: The Growing Risks of Trump’s Foreign Policy

Donald Trump has always presented unpredictability as a source of power projection in Trump’s Foreign Policy. He wants allies and adversaries alike to believe that he is willing to take risks that other presidents would normally avoid. But in his second term, this very strategy seems to produce more unpredictability and disorder. Recent developments involving South Korea, Oman, Iran and North Korea illustrate the problem very clearly. Instead of strengthening America’s position, Trump’s latest moves risk turning allies into enemies, confusing partners and weakening the credibility of US commitments in the international stage. His latest comment regarding South Korea is…
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Trump’s Hormuz Claim: Strength, Frustration, or a Sign of Failure?

Trump’s Hormuz Claim: Strength, Frustration, or a Sign of Failure?

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a speech in New York that “after we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Strait of Hormuz a territory of the United States.” Only two days earlier, Trump had claimed that the United States had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz.  The White House later said that Trump was joking about the idea of annexing the Strait of Hormoz to the U.S. territory. Yet even if Trump intended it as a joke, Trump’s Hormuz claim remains significant. It reflects the increasingly forceful…
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Trump Claims Total Control Over Hormuz: Is That Really the Case?

Trump Claims Total Control Over Hormuz: Is That Really the Case?

On August 12, U.S. President Donald Trump once again made his familiar Trump Claims Total Control Over Hormuz declaration, insisting that American forces, “and nobody else,” control the strategically important waterway.  The first problem with Trump’s statement is the difference between the notion of military presence and effective control. The United States has a powerful naval force in and around the Persian Gulf, including more than 15 warships. But having warships near the Strait does not automatically mean controlling it.  If Washington truly had complete control over Hormuz, commercial shipping would presumably be moving normally, without responding to Iranian restrictions.…
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The Emperor of Empty Promises: Trump’s Iran Bluff Meets Tehran’s Reality Check

The Emperor of Empty Promises: Trump’s Iran Bluff Meets Tehran’s Reality Check

Once again, Donald Trump has presented a picture of diplomatic progress with Iran that appears to have removed itself far from the reality on the ground. The U.S. president claimed this Monday that negotiations with Tehran were actively moving forward, but Iranian officials quickly rejected his version of events, creating another example of a widening gap between Trump’s public announcements and the facts that follow. This immediate dismissal from Tehran underscores the fundamental disconnect at the heart of Trump’s Iran Bluff—a strategy that relies more on dramatic press releases than on tangible diplomatic milestones. The opposing statements from Washington and…
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