Robert Wright's Nonzero Trump's Gulf War (Robert Wright, Derek Davison, and Daniel Bessner)
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Mar 6, 2026 
Daniel Bessner, international relations scholar at the University of Washington and commentator on U.S. grand strategy. Derek Davison, Middle East analyst and newsletter author tracking regional military and political shifts. They debate Trump’s shifting goals, whether airstrikes can topple regimes, who might succeed Khamenei, risks of Turkish escalation, Iran’s retaliation logic, and Europe’s weak response.
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Israel's Visible Influence On U.S. Decision Making
- Robert Wright argues Israel exerts real influence on U.S. policy, citing Marco Rubio saying the U.S. had to act because Israel would.
- Rubio's remark exposed behind-the-scenes alignment and intraparty disputes over whether to deploy ground troops.
Trump's Goal Is Regime Replacement Not Reconstruction
- Wright and Derek suggest Trump seeks an outcome defined as regime collapse or replacement rather than negotiated nation-building.
- Trump likened his role to Venezuela, wanting to 'be involved in the appointment' of Iran's next leader.
U.S. Interventions Have Shifted To Pure Power Politics
- Daniel Bessner says contemporary U.S. interventions lack ideological justification and mark a shift from postwar liberal hegemony to raw power politics.
- He links this to earlier examples like the Maduro approach and an absence of manufactured consent for the Iran campaign.