The first line of Elvis Costello’s “Shipbuilding”–an incredibly poignant song about the Falklands War– is “Is it worth it?” It’s a fair question to apply to Trump’s air strikes. Assuming, for purposes of argument, that the current intelligence analysis is right and that there is no more retaliation, did the benefits of the strikes justify the risks?
Not even close. Trump has set a precedent for future military involvement with Iran, made a favorable regime change less likely, and driven the Iranian nuclear program underground in order to set back the program by 3-6 months. That is a failure by any reasonable standard.