A striking comparison is being made between Trump's 2026 rhetoric on Iran and the Bush administration's 2003 case for war in Iraq, highlighting a 'war script' with dangerous similarities but key differences in context and execution.
Analysts point out that the Trump administration is using a familiar playbook: exaggerating a nuclear threat to justify pressure on Iran, much like the 'weapons of mass destruction' claims used for Iraq. However, this time, the US is more isolated diplomatically, the intelligence assessments contradict the president's claims, and the internal team is fractured. Unlike 2003, there's no broad coalition, with only Israel firmly aligned. The article warns that despite past lessons from Iraq, mechanisms for oversight and checks on presidential war powers appear weakened, raising the risk of escalation based on what one expert calls 'information chaos' to fabricate a direct threat.
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