Glenn Diesen - Greater Eurasia Podcast Lawrence Wilkerson: Trump Withdrawing from the Middle East & Europe?
Feb 3, 2026
Lawrence Wilkerson, retired U.S. Army Colonel and former chief of staff to the Secretary of State, offers candid takes on U.S. strategy. He discusses Trump's moves to reduce American commitments in the Middle East and Europe. Conversations cover Iran signals and diplomacy, NATO and European defense, Russia-Ukraine dynamics, and how global power is shifting eastward.
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Pressure-Then-Withdraw Foreign Strategy
- Col. Lawrence Wilkerson argues Trump's foreign moves often aim to pressure quickly then withdraw rather than commit to long wars.
- Wilkerson views Trump's approach as maximizing leverage while avoiding costly, protracted engagements.
Armada As Leverage Not Inevitable War
- Wilkerson thinks talk of a full-scale war with Iran is largely performative and that Pentagon actors have restrained escalation.
- He believes the armada and deployments serve pressure and bargaining more than inevitable kinetic action.
Diplomacy Behind Military Posturing
- Wilkerson reports substantive low-level talks with Iran aiming toward a JCPOA-like outcome rather than total disarmament.
- He suggests Trump uses military buildup to extract a diplomatic deal he can claim as victory.