Afrasianet - By Jonathan Chait Mark Schefflepine - Donald Trump's rhetoric about war has always vacillated between the two extremes.
He threatens "fire and fury" one day, and then praises his dictatorial allies for their gentle and thoughtful gestures the next.
But since the start of the conflict with Iran, the pace of this oscillation between aggression and reconciliation has accelerated.
The president issues new and more egregious threats against Tehran, then backs down with reassuring praise.
He is now doing all of this at once. The reason may be the desire of world markets, especially oil markets, to end the war, so that navigation through the Strait of Hormuz can resume.
Trump has realized that he can reassure markets by expecting a quick end to the war by promising that the talks are moving toward a settlement, or at least that he intends to withdraw from the conflict and portray it as a victory.
But the Iranians are aware of these messages, too. Every time Trump hints at his desire to end the war, they are aware of his desperation.
To counter this effect, Trump is trying to threaten Iran with new sanctions if it fails to reach a satisfactory deal. But of course, markets are aware of these threats as well.
Therefore, Trump must balance the impression his threat of war has created with promises of peace.
Jonathan Chait is a writer for The Atlantic.
America looks like a paper tiger
The United States has shown superior tactical capabilities in the war with Iran, but Iran emerged victorious on the strategic level
Afrasianet - By Bryn Tanell Atta Kinari - Iran, the United States, and Israel, agreed to a two-week ceasefire. A key element of this agreement appears to be a ten-point Iranian proposal that President Trump has described as a "practical basis for negotiation."
The New York Times published these points, which include lifting all sanctions on Iran, relinquishing control of the Strait of Hormuz, and allowing it to impose transit fees that share its revenues with Oman.
If these are the conditions under which the war will end, the United States will emerge from the conflict in a worse strategic position than it was at the beginning, while Iran will emerge in a better position in the long run.
Although the United States demonstrated tactical and operational prowess throughout the conflict, it was not enough to achieve a real victory.
The Trump administration's stated goals have changed throughout the conflict.
At first, she hinted at her desire for regime change. Later, it abandoned this goal in favor of destroying Iran's missile capabilities and production, dismantling its naval fleet, preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons, and stopping its financing, arming, and directing it to terrorist groups.
In practice, the United States has failed to achieve any of these goals.
