{"id":44099,"date":"2026-04-07T19:47:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T19:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44099"},"modified":"2026-04-07T19:47:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T19:47:06","slug":"protecting-civilians-is-a-sign-of-strength-and-an-american-ideal-ted-widmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44099","title":{"rendered":"Protecting civilians is a sign of strength \u2013 and an American ideal | Ted Widmer"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Far from expressing remorse for his threat to bomb civilian infrastructure, Donald Trump<\/a> is doubling down as we approach his deadline for Iranian submission: 8pm ET on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not enough for the US to achieve a military victory \u2013 one that continues to elude him, with his stated goals for the war still unmet. Instead, \u201ca whole civilization will die, never to be brought back again,\u201d as he posted on social media<\/a>. It then added that we are approaching \u201cone of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the World\u201d.<\/p>\n

That last point may actually be true, but it is hard to feel confidence in the commander-in-chief in the fifth week of a conflict that has extended well past its sell-by date, and a promise on 9 March that it would be \u201ca short-term excursion<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump has threatened <\/strong>to bomb Iran \u201cback to the Stone Ages\u201d, a quote that came from Gen Curtis LeMay, who promised to bomb Vietnam<\/a> \u201cback to the Stone Age\u201d in a 1965 book.<\/p>\n

LeMay\u2019s taunt was discredited at the time \u2013 in part because carpet bombing had little military effect on the Viet Cong, and only deepened skepticism toward a war that the US would go on to lose.<\/p>\n

LeMay made other careless mistakes during his career at the top of the air force in the 1960s. At the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, during an Oval Office meeting with Kennedy, he accused the president of \u201cappeasement\u201d for deciding to blockade Cuba rather than invade it. That conversation was taped<\/a>, revealing just how disastrous LeMay\u2019s advice was as the world stood on the edge of oblivion. Later, it was discovered that Russia had tactical nuclear weapons in Cuba, leading analysts to conclude that a nuclear exchange would likely have resulted if Kennedy had not trusted his instincts and worked toward a diplomatic solution.<\/p>\n

Precise language was key to that successful outcome \u2013 Kennedy spoke in measured tones about the exact threat he faced. He avoided bluster, and took great care to provide an off-ramp for Nikita Khrushchev that allowed each leader to step back from the crisis. A year later, they had found enough breathing room that they could negotiate a nuclear test ban treaty.<\/p>\n