The Political Scene | The New Yorker The Washington Roundtable on the Iran War
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Mar 4, 2026 A roundtable unpacks the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the unclear reasons given for them. They debate shifting administration rationales and the absence of defined strategic goals. The discussion traces lessons from the Iraq War, worries about empowering hardliners, and the political and human costs of entering a broader regional conflict.
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Campaign Promise Collides With Regime Change
- Donald Trump campaigned on "no new wars" yet his administration launched strikes on Iran and initially framed the goal as regime change.
- Susan B. Glasser highlights Trump's overnight video explicitly saying regime change, then days of inconsistent backtracking by aides.
A Moving Target Of Rationales
- The administration offered a shifting set of rationales for the strikes, from regime change to missile threats to nuclear concerns.
- Susan B. Glasser lists competing explanations from Trump, Rubio, and others while experts dispute the immediacy of those threats.
No Defined Endstate Before War
- Jane Mayer emphasizes no clear strategic objective has been articulated, invoking Clausewitz: know your endstate before you start a war.
- She notes political motives may include personal payback, one-upmanship, or distracting media coverage.