Examples of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) are on full display now that the conflict in Iran is the hot news issue. Thyagaraj Markandan (The Mercury, March 4) provides a thorough account of how TDS determines his perceptions on the subject.
TDS # one: “Iran had not attacked the US or posed any imminent threat.” Chief US negotiator, Steve Witkoff, disclosed on Fox News on March 3 that the Iranian delegation had proudly stated its possession of eleven nuclear bombs ready to go. Intel sources showed that Iran was going to strike first. On that basis, President Trump ruled that the US was not going to wait for nuclear blackmail and that it was imperative that the US struck first.
TDS # two: “Trump chose Iran because it posed a threat to US interests and its fall would boost his image.” As the world’s foremost promoter and funder of terrorism, Iran has been an international threat for decades. Its slogan ‘death to America,’ has rightly ensured that it has been front and central in Trump’s Middle East focus, shaped by his Abraham Accords initiative. Seeking kudos has never motivated Trump. Doing what is right and necessary is his only motivation.
TDS # three: “Trump couldn’t let a small power compete with the US for supremacy in the Middle East.” Regardless of its size, Iran has been the destabilizing menace in the region not only by its funding of terrorist groups but also by its Islamic extremism. The fact that the Arab world has declared its support for the Trump Administration’s destruction of the Khamenei regime means that besides being a “thorn in the West’s flesh,” as Markandan correctly states, it was also a thorn in the flesh of the Arab world.
TDS # four: “No matter how repressive the Ayatollah regime was, the US bully violated international law and set the Middle East ablaze.” If international law amounted to anything, how does Markandan glibly pass over the tens of thousands of Iranians murdered? The Trump Administration gave Khamenei ample warnings and opportunities to negotiate. Despite the blaze that is engulfing the Khamenei regime, there is a virtuous blaze of solidarity among Arab states for the Israeli-US initiative to annihilate the root cause of violence and repression based in Tehran.
TDS # five: “Who will punish Trump the warmonger.” Trump adheres to George Washington’s doctrine that ‘there is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be prepared to meet the enemy.’ Peace through strength is the Trump Administration’s maxim, which has already compiled a record of abating tensions and conflicts. It is also the reason he should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
TDS # six: “Khamenei defied the US and paid the price.” No, Mr Markandan, Khamenei defied every aspect of human rights, respect and dignity; he defied efforts to mediate and negotiate; he ruled with defiance and brutality. He defied the world for 36 years. For taking the decision to end his tyranny, President Trump deserves credit.
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