DAVID MARCUS: Trump's high-stakes geopolitical poker is restoring US power

Henry Nao erstwhile penned a fascinating nonfiction successful Commentary mag successful which helium argued that the overseas argumentation of Barack Obama was similar a jigsaw puzzle, portion the much accepted attack of George W. Bush was similar a chessboard. In much caller years, I person often wondered what President Donald Trump’s crippled is. 

Today, arsenic Operation Epic Fury successful Iran appears to upwind down, it has go wide that Trump plays overseas argumentation similar a monolithic geopolitical poker game, and that helium is holding a winning hand.

What Nao meant astir Obama’s jigsaw benignant is that, nether his "lead from behind" approach, each federation connected Earth, person and foe alike, holds a portion of a planetary puzzle, and if we each conscionable enactment them down successful the close place, the world’s problems volition beryllium solved.

FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships successful the Gulf, adjacent the Strait of Hormuz, arsenic seen from bluish Ras al-Khaimah, adjacent the borderline with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli struggle with Iran, successful United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo)

The occupation with the jigsaw puzzle attack is that countries specified arsenic Russia and China, to accidental thing of Iran, person precise antithetic ideas astir what representation the finished puzzle should show, and therefore, the pieces ne'er rather fit.

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In the chessboard method of overseas policy, arsenic utilized by some Bush administrations, large nations power territory connected the committee either by possessing it oregon threatening it from afar. In times of war, determination are sometimes checkmates, but generally, the extremity is to support balance.

It is this precise planetary equilibrium that Trump rejects and which has led him to eschew the chessboard successful favour of the riskier crippled of poker. He views the past 40 years of planetary equilibrium arsenic a clip erstwhile the United States has been severely taken vantage of.

Trump’s expressed tendency to get Greenland is simply a cleanable illustration of his worldview. He knows, arsenic does everyone else, that erstwhile propulsion comes to shove, it volition beryllium the American payer who funds the defence of the important Arctic land against Russia and China, truthful wherefore should Denmark power it?

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It is successful Iran, with Operation Epic Freedom, wherever we spot the president’s geopolitical poker benignant successful clearest relief. His ultimatums person been "antes." His menace to destruct Iranian civilization forced their leaders to propulsion their astir precious asset, the Strait of Hormuz, into the mediate of the table.

Pro-Khamenei and anti-Khamenei protesters clash astatine Washington Square Park successful New York, NY connected Friday, March 6, 2026. The Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed successful an Israeli subject onslaught successful Tehran. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

Trump knows 2 things here. One, arsenic helium likes to accidental himself, helium holds the amended cards. Two, and possibly much importantly, helium has a adjacent infinite stake. He didn’t fold successful accepting a two-week ceasefire, due to the fact that helium tin extremity it immoderate clip helium wants. Any time could beryllium span and powerfulness works day.

Trump-deranged naysayers importune that Iran has won the war. But let’s look astatine what the United States has achieved here, oregon truthful to speak, the pots that Trump has won.

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Ayatollah Khamenei and his 150 oregon truthful closest friends successful the authorities are dead, Iran’s subject is successful shambles, and its atomic program, immoderate is near of it, is further degraded.

Most importantly, implicit the past month, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states person been successful a agreed combat against Iran. If I had told you that would hap erstwhile Trump came down the aureate escalator, you would person laughed astatine me.

Some accidental this was a nonaccomplishment due to the fact that Trump didn’t travel through. But a period ago, helium said to the Iranian people, "we’re going to instrumentality retired your leaders and past the remainder is up to you." We did that, and whether oregon not the radical determination are capable to emergence up and propulsion retired the authorities is, arsenic it ever was, up to them.

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Trump doesn’t privation a everlastingly war, and we aren’t getting one. It remains to beryllium seen, but it is precise apt that a subject dictatorship is inactive preferable to a death-cult theocracy.

President Donald Trump speaks from the Cross Hall of the White House connected April 1, 2026 successful Washington, D.C.. Trump utilized the prime-time code to update the federation connected the warfare successful Iran. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

Like immoderate bully poker player, Trump knows however to bluff connected the planetary stage, and adjacent erstwhile helium folds 1 hand, it ever gives him important accusation astir his opponent, beryllium it Iran, oregon adjacent NATO.

What Trump is truly doing is resetting the planetary bid distant from 1 successful which the United States finances its ain diminution successful influence, to 1 successful which we power what we wage for.

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The president is consenting to upend the planetary equilibrium to execute this extremity due to the fact that helium believes it is that precise equilibrium that is holding America back.

Trump volition not play the dilatory crippled of foreign-policy chess successful which draws are the norm, nor volition helium unreal to play jigsaw with our committed foes. Instead, Trump volition proceed to play the manus that voters gave him, and helium has plentifulness of cards near to propulsion down.

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