Craig Singleton
U.S. President Donald Trump is not the isolationist he was made out to be. Over the past year, he has greenlit a special forces operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power, ordered precision strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, and aggressively pressed territorial claims closer to home, including threats to seize Greenland. Then, last week, Trump reversed course on a prospective military intervention in Iran tied to nationwide anti-regime protests—an operation many assumed was imminent.
Trump’s reversal on Iran does not signal restraint. Rather, it reflects a distinctive brand of radical realism, in which his use of force is global in reach but narrow in scope. He is willing to act decisively—often unilaterally—when outcomes look legible, exposure is limited, and the end state can be framed as a low-cost win. But when escalation risks rise or end states become uncertain, Trump is equally prepared to change tack. His approach is not a doctrine but the raw, pragmatic application
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