Troops Without Strategy | The Pattern That Repeats

Ultimize. According to the Times, US troops levels in the region have surged past 50,000 as the administration considers expanding military operations against Iran, including the possibility of seizing strategic territory tied to global oil flows. And if your reaction is, haven't we seen this movie before? Yes, and it never ends well. Every Middle East war starts the same way. The This will be quick. This will be limited. This will be strategic. And then years later, it's none of those things. Just expensive, bloody, and impossible to explain. We're watching the trailer again for a movie that always ends in disaster. Let's do a quick history lesson. 1983, Lebanon, US troops sent in as peacemakers. Results? Barracks bombed, 241 Americans killed. 1991 Gulf War, quick victory, okay, but left unresolved tensions that set the stage for decades of conflict. 2003, Iraq. This will be a cakewalk. Those were the actual words used by officials. What followed? 20 years, trillions of dollars, thousands of American lives lost, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives lost, and a region still unstable. 2011, Libya. Another limited intervention. Now, a failed state with open-air slave markets. Afghanistan, longest war in US history. Congratulations. And it exactly how? With a chaotic withdrawal and the Taliban back in power. And now we're doing it again, but this time with Iran, a country of 90 million people, far more complex, far more dangerous. Invading or escalating conflict with Iran is not Iraq 2.0. It's Iraq multiplied. Bigger population, more resources, stronger military. If Iraq was a quagmire, this is quicksand with rockets. And here's what makes this even more reckless. There's no clear communication of the objective. One day it's about retaliation, next day it's about deterrence, next day it's about controlling oil resources and routes. That's not strategy. That's throwing darts while holding a match. Let's talk about global perception because this matters a lot. Right now, the United States is not being seen as a stabilizing force. Increasingly, we are being viewed as unpredictable. Aggressive, acting alone, and in many parts of the world, yes, even as a rogue nation, even as a destabilizing force. That's not me saying it. That's how international perception shifts when actions don't match clear, consistent messaging. When your allies are nervous and your adversaries are energized, you're not projecting strength, you're projecting chaos. And chaos is not a strategy. It's a warning sign. Now, let's talk politics, because this is where things get truly bizarre. Normally, a deeply unpopular war destroys a president politically, but here, we're in uncharted territory. Approval ratings for Trump already around 34%. So before the war even started, he's at historically low approval rating, so low, there's almost no political floor left to fall through, which creates a dangerous illusion that there's no cost to this Trump war. If your approval rating is already in the basement, you can light a fire upstairs and not see much change in the numbers. That doesn't mean people approve. It means you've already maxed out on the disapproval. And then there's the economic reality. This is where it gets even uglier. More in just a moment. Like what you heard? Don't let the algorithm bury us. Subscribe now at substack.com/tjwalker. @TJWalkerSuccess. Want direct access to me live? Want to unlock bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes takes, and full access to my premium courses? Then become a member today. Just go to tjwalker.com/members and choose your preferred platform—YouTube, Patreon, whatever works for you. This isn't just another subscription. It's a full-access pass to the tools, coaching, and content that can and transform your communication and career. TJ Walker. So what's the economic reality of this Iran war? Well, let's look. The Strait of Hormuz, roughly 20% of the world's oil flows through it. If this conflict escalates, oil spikes even more, gas prices spike even more, everything becomes more expensive. We're talking $6, maybe $7, maybe higher for a gallon of gas. And what then happens? Recession becomes a real possibility. It's not a joke anymore. It is absolutely real. And we're going to have to deal with this, folks. At some point, you have to realize whether you love Trump, whether you hate Trump, you have to acknowledge this is his baby. This was not thought through, and this could in fact destroy the worldwide economy. Now, I like to think of myself as an optimist. I am an optimist. I do see a silver lining here. It does seem like this could have a very similar ending to Trump casinos, to Trump Stakes, to Trump University, to Trump's professional football league. It can have a very similar ending in that it just completely melts down into nothing. Now, I don't hope economic harm on anyone, but if this imbecilic war doubles the price of gasoline, and creates a worldwide recession, and that results in the midterm elections going to an opposing party, and Trump's party is swept out of office, not only in the House of Representatives but the Senate, then at that point, I'd have to say, worth it. If that's what it took to wake Americans up to some semblance of sanity, and we can finally neuter this corrupt rogue regime coming out of Washington, then it will be worth it. I'm sorry it took this, if this is what happens, to wake up Americans. But at some point, you pay the prices for really bad decisions. People know that in their personal life. If you quit school and smoke pot every day for your entire high school career and end up graduating without being able to read, well, you pay for those decisions with a lifetime of low earning power, and probably on bad health and unhappiness. If you elect someone who has never been serious about anything in his life and has basically destroyed every business he's ever touched, then you do in fact should not be surprised if the entire world becomes chaos. Ultimize.