Waking up in the early hours today in Australia, with Trump’s threat of the total and chaotic destruction of Iran “ready” to go within hours, one could have been forgiven for wondering: is this the day that changes everything?
Despite news of a two-week ceasefire deal now agreed between the United States and Iran, today could still very much be a turning point.
Perhaps it’s a new standard or “normal” established in emotional men promising to issue more violent and total threats of terror and chaos in order to get an outcome.
Or perhaps it’s something else. Some accountability for men who promote such unhinged and emotional fits of rage, finally being declared unfit for leadership.
A reminder of the threats issued by Trump in these last few days and hours, because we know how fast these epic outbursts of fury are forgotten.
Trump posted earlier this morning that “a whole civilisation will die”, presenting his latest in a string of increasingly terrifying threats to destroy Iran, following his shocking expletive rant a couple of days ago.
With the 10am AEST deadline looming before Trump pulled the trigger on sending Iran “back to the stone ages” (his words again), there was some relief as we heard Tehran and the Trump administration had agreed to the two-week ceasefire deal, including the reopening of the Hormuz Strait.
But with a deal in place (at least for now), one could be forgiven for questioning what it was all for, and what the Trump administration has actually achieved in recent weeks. Iran has control of the Strait. Iran appears to have new leadership that is just as hostile, if not more so, to the United States. Tens of thousands of people have died, and the world will continue to grapple with a fuel crisis that is having far-reaching consequences in every aspect of our lives.
Trump claimed today that the ceasefire is happening, and that “we have already met and exceeded all military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran and PEACE in the Middle East”.
Trump will move on to the next destruction. The next war. The next threat. The next use of grotesque and unacceptable language. The next opportunity to be at the centre of the story, just as long as his ego isn’t hurt along the way.
A reminder: Trump won two presidential elections against two women with decades of experience in services and negotiations. We might remember again the questions raised about whether these women were too emotional to be trusted with decisions of security, and if women could really be trusted with having control over the nuclear option. As we published last month from a group of academics who have investigated the matter of emotion in the Trump administration, the current crop of men in the White House “might be the most emotional leadership group the US has ever had. And while their outbursts often seem spontaneous and even silly, we should take them seriously”.
So enjoy a little relief today, not just for the people of Iran who faced the threat of Trump’s annihilation, but for all of us taken to the brink. Remember, the next emotional outburst from men at the top could come at any time, and it’s more than a rant. It’s a declaration of ego that creates more tension and instability.