Indecision

FIRST PERSON

- ALEX MAGNO

After all the breast-thumping and warlike rhetoric, Donald Trump has pleaded for two more weeks to make a decision regarding attacking Iran. There is no particular reason he chose a two-week timeline. It seems there is nothing more here than the force of habit. We know from the record that whenever Trump reaches a moment of indecision, he reflexively pleads for two more weeks to think things through.

To be fair, joining Israel's withering bombardment of Iran is not an easy decision for Trump to make.

Trump ran for president on an isolationist, inward-looking platform. He promised an end to US involvement in "forever wars." A decision to join in attacking Iran will surely split his political base.

With his dwindling job approval ratings, Trump could hardly afford to squander what is left of his political capital. He is under pressure from his most isolationist "America First" supporters like Steve Bannon to stay out of the quagmire in the Middle East.

Bannon visited the White House on the same day Trump backtracked from his belligerent rhetoric.

The geopolitical fallout from US involvement in attacking Iran could be complex. Pakistan, now a close US ally and a sympathetic neighbor to Iran, warns Washington against involvement in the region. Last week, Trump received a senior Pakistani defense official at the White House.

Vladimir Putin surely opposes US involvement in the operation against Iran. The Russian tyrant holds a special place in Trump's heart.