Before the first bomb fell on Iran, the United States had already weakened the international architecture it would need to manage the aftermath. Gen. Stanley McChrystal told the New York Times that President Trump's "America First" approach systematically dismantled alliances, challenged norms, and eliminated relationships - all under the assumption that the strongest power left standing would benefit most.
"I think President Trump took most of those on and said, 'They're unfair to America,'" McChrystal said in a conversation with columnist David French on the NYT podcast "The Opinions," as "Hvylya" reports. The general described how Trump weakened institutions, confronted allies over burden-sharing, and in many cases severed long-standing partnerships. "He challenged norms. He, in many cases, eliminated relationships that we had under the idea that that was going to advantage the strongest dog left on the block - which would be us."
McChrystal said that calculation proved wrong. "I think that's proven not to be true. You can't be strong enough to go it alone," he said. In his assessment, what actually provides security in an interconnected world is credibility, trustworthy alliances, and the rule of law. All three took damage before the Iran crisis escalated.
The general traced an escalation ladder that began with low-cost provocations. Trump threatened Canada and Greenland with no military consequences. He ordered strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean. Then the Venezuela raid crossed a new threshold. "I think he got emboldened by that," McChrystal said. The dynamic accelerated further when Israel's post-Oct. 7 operations aligned with Trump's instinct to confront Iran directly.
French asked McChrystal to place the Iran war within a broader grand strategy. The general's answer was pessimistic. The economic tariffs, the direct confrontation with China, and the military adventurism all contradict each other. "You can onshore things, but the reality is it's still interconnected, and it's going to stay that way," McChrystal said.
Previously, "Hvylya" examined Foreign Policy's argument that the world is returning to an era of competing imperial spheres.