The Ukraine invasion has me thinking about Trump’s January 2020 assassination of Iran general Soleimani. At the time I’d seen it as a reckless murder, which it is, but now I wonder how the world viewed it. It was a brazen killing of a sovereign nation’s military general, but it did send a message to the world: Trump could very well have you killed, no matter who you are. Trump’s perceived willingness to actually pull the trigger paradoxically led to more peace. No one wanted to cross him. Trump was aggressive, arrogant, and pitiless. As offensive as these traits may be, it might be better for national security for your national leader to have them.
