Donald John Trump has never been one for introspection.
This particular trait or some might say character flaw, has hampered him since his rise many years ago and it is precisely what has led to this current seismic mess.
Under no circumstances would any of his predecessors, however misguided they were, made the decision to assassinate the spiritual head of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
George W. Bush spoke of an Axis of Evil, but only went as far as to invade Iraq, while Barack Obama struck a deal with the Iranian government to limit their uranium enrichment program in return for the removal of crippling economic sanctions.
For those who are new to my posts, it is worth pointing out that Iran is a majority Shia Muslim country, which has had very little to do with the fraught subject of Islamic fundamentalism.
Sunni Salafism took on a whole new meaning when Saudi Arabia became its chief sponsor during the cold war era and by the time Soviet Russia unravelled in the late 1980s, its focus turned elsewhere, of which the consequences were 9/11, the splintering of Iraq, ISIS, and the war of attrition in Syria.
Iran’s problems have everything to do with Israel’s strategic objectives of being the sole power in the region and the real possibility of the Shia majority state’s nuclear weapon building capabilities.
And in the last few days, we have been forced to come to terms with the brovado of the 47th president of America.
No sooner had the bombs dropped in Tehran, killing school children than the Iranian leadership closed the strait of Hormuz and embarked on reprisal attacks in Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, thus sending the global economy into a tailspin.
Dubai, whose reputation was built on its safety, security and eye catching skyscrapers, has, in the twinkling of an eye, had its marketability eviscerated.
Tel Aviv has been at the receiving end of a massive pummeling from its perennial foe.
And energy prices have risen across Europe with the strong likelihood of a further increase.
But this is only the start.
Given the point to which the Iranians are determined to accelerate America’s decline, the implosion of the wealthy gulf nations will take an extraordinary turn.
Political scientists, politicians, economists, independent scribes and pundits across the ideological divide have written at length on the decline of Pax Americana and World War III.
The liquidation of the British empire didn’t take place when Herr Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in April 1945 or when India gained independence in August 1947. It began when it overextended itself in waging ruinous wars across the globe and failed to maintain any sort of fiscal prudence over its affairs.
The American empire in its current incarnation is a morbidly obese diabetic, propped up by its myriad medications. Its rivals are smarter, leaner and perfectly poised to take advantage of its missteps. Make no mistakes about it: Iran has landed a huge psychological and economic blow on its enemies, which will reverberate in Sudan, Nigeria, the Sahel, Asia and Europe for a long time to come.
Foreign Exchange are op-eds from writers who do not live in the U.S.