Military Expert Prof Robert Pape

Your statement just proves mindless TDS is not a real thing... as if that's not already obvious/common sense... here's what your "non-mindless TDS guy" says around 6:15 in the video...
"We are being led by some of the most incompetent & corrupt & amoral people who have ever been in public life in America. Now, so, these are just cartoon characters & grifters & social media stars & moral lunatics in the second Trump administration, inspiring no confidence whatsoever from Trump on down."
Brutal... and yet you don't accuse him of being infected with TDS. Why? Because you agree with the rest of what the "non-mindless TDS guy" says?
IMHO, declaring TDS is a coping mechanism used by those who don't want to hear something that doesn't fit their existing beliefs/narrative/outlook, even if they can acknowledge and accept this "alleged" reality of the Trump administration.
Or maybe I'm wrong and it's just my TDS flaring up.![]()
One way or another, without USA action, we were going to see more and more demands and terrorism from the regime. It was definitely go down as a "L" to the world, not just the USA. It's good we took action although severely late which resulted in Iran getting in some good hits on the US, Israel and the neighbors.Iran, was quickly rebuilding it's offense / defense and with Russia in trouble, and the Iranian proxies weakened, it makes sense why this was considered an opportunity to hit Iran. ( mowing the grass as some call it )
If Iran is allowed to continue to control the Persian Gulf / Strait of Hormuz - Iran will control 20% of the world's oil
That put's it in a massive position of power.
It would allow it to strengthen itself, provide more weapons to Russia, strengthen it's proxies. Nuclear weapons for Iran should be in the pipeline.
This is a really bad option for the USA.
USA will need to find a way to counter this and if military force is a part of that counter, thus I expect this war to last a long time.
As a result of the Iranian attacks on neighbors in the Gulf, I expect costs and supply of Oil to go up.
Tankers will have to travel further distances to supply customers.
I expect a global recession. There will be demand destruction for Oil and Oil / NatGas related products.
Due to fertilizer costs and availability, I expect less food world wide, there should be issues with this that impacts the poorer nations who do not produce enough food already. ( Egypt for example )
Trump probably will lose midterms, which will mean the end of chances to get any Trump agenda passed in Congress
Expect more terrorism from this.
This is good ..
“Many Will Die:” Military Expert Warns of Iran Escalation Trap | Amanpour and Company
Amanpour and Company
Mar 25, 2026 #amanpourpbs
Is America's war in Iran headed toward an escalation trap? Robert Pape, a professor of political science and an expert on global security, argues that the decapitation of Iran's leadership failed to break the regime, while upping the pressure for more force -- including raising the specter of a ground war. Pape joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the difference between initial tactical success and long-term strategic success.
Iran’s reported missile strike reaching toward Diego Garcia marks a sharp shift in this war’s trajectory.
This is not just another exchange.
It is a signal that the conflict is moving along a predictable—but dangerous—path I call the Escalation Trap.
The Escalation Trap unfolds in three stages.
Stage 1: Limited force to control the conflict.
A state launches precise strikes to degrade capabilities, signal resolve, or compel change—believing escalation can be contained.
Stage 2: Horizontal escalation.
The opponent does not collapse. It adapts—expanding the battlefield, targeting partners, and raising costs in new domains. What begins as a localized conflict spreads geographically and economically.
Stage 3: Forced expansion of the war.
The initiating side faces a choice: accept failure or escalate further—often through ground operations or direct control of territory and critical assets. This is the point where wars become far more costly and far harder to end.
We are now approaching this third stage.
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The Escalation Trap Enters Its Most Dangerous Phase
Iran's Latest Surpriseescalationtrap.substack.com