InProgress

from the Center for American Progress

In this edition:

• Trump's failed war in Iran follows a troubling pattern seen in the Iraq War
• Trump asked Congress for the largest inflation-adjusted Pentagon budget in history
• Why sovereign wealth funds are backing the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger
  

With his war in Iran, Trump is repeating the mistakes of the Iraq War

Photo: Getty Images

More than two decades after the Iraq War became synonymous with strategic miscalculation, the United States finds itself confronting a strikingly familiar reality in Iran.

In a new analysis, the Center for American Progress' Andrew Miller argues that President Donald Trump's war in Iran is following a trajectory that echoes President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq: ambitious promises, unclear objectives, and mounting costs. The administration's military intervention has failed to achieve its stated goals while imposing significant economic and geopolitical consequences on Americans and U.S. allies alike.

Did the war achieve its stated objectives?

The administration promised that military action would eliminate threats posed by Iran and strengthen U.S. security. Yet the conflict has failed to deliver the decisive outcomes its supporters predicted and any marginal progress is reversible, suggesting that the intervention was destined to fail from the very start.

Has the United States become more secure?
Military force was presented as the surest path to protecting American interests. Instead, the war has introduced new risks, heightened instability across the region, and left the United States continuing to confront unresolved challenges.

What are Americans paying for this conflict?

The costs extend far beyond military operations. Rising energy prices, economic uncertainty, and the long-term burden of another open-ended conflict are being felt by Americans at home as well as by U.S. allies abroad.

Were the lessons of the Iraq War forgotten?

The Iraq War demonstrated the consequences of entering a conflict without a clear understanding of the risks, costs, or likely outcomes. The administration's approach to Iran reflects many of the same assumptions that proved so damaging two decades ago.

$1.45 trillion Pentagon budget will not make our country safer

Photo: Getty Images

In its latest budget request, the Trump administration asked Congress for an unprecedented $1.45 trillion Pentagon budget. This is both the largest inflation-adjusted dollar amount in history and the largest one-year increase since the Korean War.

President Trump said in a Truth Social post that this amount is necessary to build a “Dream Military” and keep the United States “SAFE and SECURE.” In fact, this request would impose a staggering bill on American taxpayers, and it is completely disconnected from a coherent defense strategy.

Providing for America’s defense and ensuring the readiness of its armed forces is essential—and requires a clear defense strategy that both prioritizes capabilities suited for the 21st century and ensures they are resourced through disciplined, accountable spending. Congress should refuse to authorize the president’s unjustifiable increase request. Instead, lawmakers should insist on a disciplined defense budget that ensures funds are spent on programs critical for the well-being of American service members and modern defense needs—not vanity projects with limited military utility.

What's really behind the Paramount–Warner Bros. merger?

Photo: Getty Images

Paramount’s proposed $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery would create one of the largest media conglomerates in the world, combining CNN, CBS News, major Hollywood studios, and many other outlets under a single corporate structure. But the deal raises concerns far beyond traditional antitrust scrutiny. The merger is heavily reliant on financing from sovereign wealth funds tied to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, governments with documented records of media censorship and extensive financial ties to President Trump and his family.

Aside from the consolidation of major news and entertainment outlets, the high levels of foreign ownership in this merged company could create new risks for U.S. media independence and national security, at a time when the president’s administration is actively trying to shape news coverage in its favor. Regulators must examine not only the deal’s anti-consumer impact on competition, but also these broader implications for core American rights and national security—and use all appropriate legal tools to block this merger.