Local opinion: Who wins and loses in President Trump's war?

President Trump’s attack on Iran, coordinated with Israel, was indeed brilliantly executed by the US military, as extolled by their spokesman to the press in the first real briefing on Monday morning, March 3, 2026.

But for those who are enamored by his easy use of force, it might be well to consider who has and will benefit from his decapitation of the Iranian theocratic regime, and who will lose.

First, the attack was in violation of International Law, the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution Act of 1973. The Constitution gives the power to declare war to Congress. The War Powers Act, recognizing that events can occur with lightning speed, allows for the President to send U.S. forces into action in the case of “a national emergency created by attack upon the U.S., its territories or possessions or the armed forces” so long as Congress is notified within 48 hours. The U.S. was not under attack and only selective members of Congress were notified after the attack was underway. The fact that the MAGA-controlled Congress authorized it ex post facto does not change that. And everyone in this country should be concerned about the progressive erosion of Constitutional prerogatives by an aggressive executive bent on consolidating all power to himself. Separation of powers means nothing if Congress is servile and the Judiciary complicit, ignored or intimidated.

Trump gives two justifications: that Iran was building a nuclear arsenal to threaten the world, and "regime change" to benefit the people. Problem is, as noted by several observers, he had previously declared Iran’s nuclear program “completely destroyed” and that it would take years for them to rebuild. So, which is it? Was he wrong then, or now? And what evidence other than his saying so exists that the nuclear threat from Iran was so immanent that it justified planning and executing an attack on the leaders of another country while simultaneously pretending to be negotiating in good faith?

Next, the justification of defense of the Iranian people. Few will regret the deaths of the venomous old men who had run Iran; but they have now been replaced by venomous younger men, including the new supreme leader who is the son of the Ayatollah the U.S. killed. Is he likely ever to make peace with the country who murdered his father? In the Monday 3/2 briefing, the military spokesman extolled the brilliance of the execution of the February 28 attack on Iran. He happily noted the "surgical precision" of that attack. But later comes the news that 165 schoolgirls were killed when a bomb hit their school. I doubt that the grieving families of those children will be appreciative of the precision of the bombing. How many Iranians, even the protesters, could support this? Especially as Trump is musing about re-installing the Shah.

As of the time of this writing, 1230 have been killed in Iran, and 7 American soldiers. Look at the hometowns of those American servicemen who were killed. Most of the time they are from small towns, mostly rural, that most of us have never heard of, where economic opportunity remains low and patriotism high. But those who died were known and loved there. They have paid the ultimate price for Mr. Trump’s war. And as he told us, more will follow.

So, who benefits? Under Trump we have shored up Netanyahu and his genocide of the Palestinian people. Under Trump we have abandoned NATO, threatened our allies, and supported Putin’s reconstituted Soviet Union. Under Trump we have abandoned any principle other than Might makes Right, have gone back 90 years to when powerful nations could take over smaller ones with impunity and thus given tacit permission for others (Russia, China, North Korea) to do the same. Far from making the world safer, I submit these actions have made the world infinitely more dangerous.

So, the beneficiaries of Mr. Trump’s war are: Netanyahu, Russia (Putin is already welcoming a closer relationship with Iran), oil company oligarchs (who is making money on this war?) Who will lose? Us, our children, NATO, Europe, democracy, the world.