The US is paying the price for a "misadventure shaped by flawed assumptions and inadequate planning," writes Monica Duffy Toft in the New York Times.

The US is paying the price for a "misadventure shaped by flawed assumptions and inadequate planning," writes Monica Duffy Toft in the New York Times. Toft is referring to the US war in Iran, which was "conceived with expectations of swift and decisive success." Instead, it has backfired. "Despite sustained bombardment, Iran’s political system has held firm, and its military infrastructure continues to function with notable resilience," Toft writes. The conflict "stands as a stark reminder that even the most powerful nations cannot afford the consequences of unclear goals. In war, as in statecraft, strategy is not merely important—it is decisive. The US should have known better." Toft blames President Trump's "overconfidence bred by recent success" in Venezuela, which she sees as another example of how "clean victories inflate the index precisely when scepticism is most needed." Toft also blames the Trump administration's failure to learn lessons from Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Read her full column here.