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Trump Blew Iran War Diplomacy—and Now Everyone’s Furious | Shield of the Republic

2026-05-11 News & Politics
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The Bulwark
The Bulwark
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Description

Eric and Eliot lament the firing of 200 Foreign Service officers and the recent large-scale exodus of senior diplomats from public service. They discuss the impact of the Trump Administration's diplomatic malpractice including the handling of Operation Freedom and their own disagreements about it. They assess the likely costs of ensuring Iran is not left in control of the Strait of Hormuz and the inevitable long-term future US presence in the Persian Gulf. They also consider the impact of the UK local elections and the collapse of support for Keir Starmer's Labour Party. Finally, they address the US troop withdrawals from Germany and Vladimir Putin's worsening political, economic, and personal situation. Eric & Frank Miller on Withdrawing From Germany: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/withdrawing-troops-from-germany-is-own-goal-trump-merz-nato Secretary Hegseth's Defense Budget Video: https://x.com/SecWar/status/2052396775797891417?s=20 Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Become a Bulwark Youtube Plus Member here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4Hp1KbGw4e02N7FpPXDgQ/join

Top Comments (10)

@riptide451 2026-05-11

I feel like Eric and Eliot are missing the point regarding allied nations. No allied nation can trust the US again because any agreement they signed can only be trusted for the length of the signing administration. Half the voting public put this guy in the white house twice. Until those deep social issue are resolved, it would be foolish to trust the US the way we used to. It's going to be the work of a generation or more to undo the damage that has been done to international relations. The supreme court itself, congress and the senate are complicit in dismantling democracy within the US. That's not something that will be fixed with a single change of administration.

174 34 replies
@bdrobe2 2026-05-11

All empires end but we’re the first to commit suicide.

84 20 replies
@megaohmaudio5963 2026-05-11

TDS more accurately describes Trump supporters, let's be real.

68 7 replies
@bellowl 2026-05-11

Disagreeing with Israeli foreign policy does not necessarily mean that one is anti-semitic. This is a fairly simple idea that conservative Americans seem to struggle with.

41 3 replies
@genuineimpulse9134 2026-05-11

ANYONE is smarter and better than Jared Kushner.

32 1 replies
@LoriAnnSullivan 2026-05-11

No more money for dod. TRILLION dollars per year... No

31 1 replies
@red0nda 2026-05-11

Disfunction in the UK! Not the US? Surprising comment given the state of the US. We have our issues but I doubt we could lose the rule of law to the extent your justice system has.

27 1 replies
@danmayberry1185 2026-05-11

No country since 1945 has inflicted more widespread turmoil than the US has done in the past 16 months. The global impact since Feb 28 is just the cherry on top.

24 2 replies
@thermodynamics458 2026-05-11

He blew the Iran war by starting it. Who wanted this apart from Israel?

14 1 replies
@AnneBurrDanceVideos 2026-05-12

Hard to believe. Heart breaking

1

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