Deception

When diplomacy becomes bait

Trump didn’t just abandon principle-based foreign policy.
He replaced it with dealmaking.

Not diplomacy. Not grand strategy.
Deals.

Short-term gains.
No long-term vision. No strategy.
No moral compass.
Just tactical transactions.

“America First” ceased being a doctrine of strength.
It became an excuse for retreat.
For shortsightedness.
For global disengagement.

Soft power? Systematically gutted—
by the idiocracy of DOGE and the triumph of ignorance over statecraft.

USAID. Voice of America. The Fulbright Program.
Tariffs as blunt instruments.
Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Exit from the WHO.
Abandoned. Dismantled. Undermined.

His chief negotiator?
Steve Witkoff.
Real estate developer. Crypto promoter.
Zero diplomatic experience. An improbable envoy.

And to his credit—at first, it seemed he might pull it off.
He was engaged.
He was being taken seriously.
Even by Tehran.

Until Thursday night.

Iran and Israel were scheduled to begin nuclear talks.
Trump and Witkoff encouraged dialogue.
They nudged Tehran toward the table.

Tehran did not expect an attack.
Not before talks. Not yet.

Then came the strike.
Iran came for diplomacy.
Israel came with missiles.

Tehran was played.
Deceived. Drawn in—then hit.

Diplomacy wasn’t a tool for peace. It was bait.

This wasn’t just another broken norm.
It was a strategic betrayal.
A breach of trust that shatters the very logic of negotiation.

No regional actor will trust the diplomatic process now.
Not after this.

US foreign policy principles? They died long before Thursday.

They died when President Biden failed to defend civilians in Gaza.
But this week, diplomacy died too.

Talking to your enemies carries domestic risks.
It always has.
Especially for regimes built on conflict.

But if diplomacy is reduced to a trap, why negotiate at all?

Trump is playing with fire.
And yes, Iran was hit hard.

The regime in Tehran is authoritarian, theocratic, and repressive.
And yes, this may look like a major win for Tel Aviv.

But it could be a Pyrrhic victory—
a costly success that sows deeper instability.

Geopolitical victories aren't scored like real estate deals.
And this one may cost far more than it gains.

The deep state in Iran is engineered to survive shocks.
Its ideology is fused with nationalism.
Its legitimacy, with resistance.

Vali Nasr warns us:

“In Iran, religion is not just belief. It is structure. It is identity. It is resistance.”

If you believe this strike will provoke revolution, think again.

The people of Iran will not rise up against their regime today.
If anything, they will close ranks.
Around power.
Even authoritarian power.
Even broken power.

Because when bombs fall, flags rise.

Foreign policy isn't a zero-sum game.

The formula for global leadership remains simple:
Power + Principles.

Zbigniew Brzezinski said it best in Strategic Vision:

“If America becomes indifferent to the world, the world will become more dangerous for America.”

The US still has the power. At least for now.
But the principles are gone.

And a world governed by power without principle?
That’s not strategy.
That’s chaos.