Why Trump's Iran attacks are nothing new | Glenn Greenwald

Quick Overview

Glenn Greenwald argues that Donald Trump's foreign policy, while rhetorical, is largely a continuation of prior US foreign policy, specifically citing Trump's praise for authoritarian leaders and his administration's military actions in the Middle East, which echo post-9/11 interventionism, contrasting this continuity with the perceived anti-war stance of the MAGA movement.

Key Points: Greenwald notes that Trump showed praise for authoritarian leaders like Kim Jong Un (North Korea) and Maduro (Venezuela), and their 'ruling by iron fist,' contrasting with typical Western democratic rhetoric. The alleged 'forever wars' have not ended; Greenwald points to the US conducting airstrikes in Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and Iraq under Trump, similar to the War on Terror. The Iraq War, in particular, caused horrific abuses and was part of the post-9/11 interventionist framework that Trump did not fundamentally dismantle. Greenwald points out that the Biden administration continues aggressive policies, such as bombing Iran twice and attempting to engineer regime change in Venezuela, suggesting continuity in US interventionism. A significant discontinuity under Trump was the rhetoric and explicit prioritization of US interests (America First) over promoting democracy abroad, even with allies like the UK and EU. The historical precedent of the post-WWII liberal democratic order, which united the West, is now crumbling, replaced by a US foreign policy that treats ideological allies harshly while courting autocratic regimes in the Middle East and Latin America. Greenwald suggests that figures like Tucker Carlson and JD Vance, who embody a non-interventionist strain of Republicanism, are succeeding because the American public is weary of perpetual war, evidenced by the lack of public outrage over US bombings in Yemen and the general sentiment against long wars.

Context: The video features a discussion, likely an interview or a panel, between Glenn Greenwald, identified as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and another speaker (likely a moderator or interviewer) from the Institute of Art and Ideas (IAI). The central theme revolves around analyzing the nature and continuity of US foreign policy, specifically contrasting the rhetoric associated with Donald Trump's 'America First' agenda against the actual military and diplomatic actions taken during his presidency and comparing them to the preceding and subsequent administrations.