“In an excellent article, far more sophisticated that this one, B.A. Friedman argues that the logic chain was essentially reversed: that the notion was that capabilities create successful operations, and enough operations would make a tactic, enough tactics a strategy, enough strategy a policy. And his analysis is spot on. You can’t celebrate blowing things up and imagine that this is itself a national interest. Just because you can do things does not mean that you can explain to the nation why you are doing things. And Trump certainly has not.

Trump’s one consistent explanation is enjoyment. Trump felt good after kidnapping Maduro in Venezuela. He called into Fox and Friends to talk about how nice it would be to repeat the experience. He now says that the war in Iran is “fun.” Hegseth uses similar terms.

This is the pleasure principle. If war feels good, do it. Trump and Hegseth take satisfaction in killing or dominating other people.

That, however, has nothing to do with a national interest.

There is no evidence of anything beyond the pleasure principle. With good intentions and bad, commentators seek to force some policy around the whimsy. But it is whimsy all the way down. And a war for fun cannot be won.” —Timothy Snyder