New York Times columnist Bret Stephens wrote Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran is “going better than you think,” offering a view that diverges from criticism voiced by other media figures and Democratic lawmakers, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
In his column, Stephens argued that public concern over the economic and strategic impact of the conflict may be overstated.
He pointed to historical comparisons in energy markets, recalling that in 2012 “the price of Brent crude closed the month around $123 a barrel,” which he noted would equal about $175 per barrel today.
He added that current prices are “hovering around $100.”
“That ought to provide some perspective on the panic over the war in the Middle East,” Stephens wrote.
“To hear the critics’ version of events, an unprovoked and unnecessary attack on Iran, launched at Israel’s behest, is already a foreign-policy fiasco that has put the global economy at risk without any clear objective or endgame.”
Stephens directly addressed comments made by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who told NBC’s Kristen Welker on Sunday, “We’ve never seen this level of incompetence in war-making in this country’s history.”
“Really?” Stephens responded in his column, before comparing the current conflict to previous U.S. military operations.
He referenced Operation Desert Storm in 1991, noting that dozens of U.S. aircraft were destroyed during a six-week period, while four aircraft were destroyed during four weeks of the current conflict with Iran.
Stephens also cited casualty figures from past military engagements. During the 1989 invasion of Panama, 23 U.S. service members were killed, and 325 were wounded, compared to 13 deaths and 230 wounded in the current conflict. He wrote that most of those injured in the present conflict had “swiftly returned to duty.”
The columnist further compared international support levels, writing that President George W. Bush faced limited backing from Arab nations during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
By contrast, Stephens said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is urging President Trump to continue military operations against Iran, citing reporting from other New York Times journalists.
Stephens acknowledged criticisms of the administration’s handling of the conflict, writing, “I am not blind to the Trump administration’s failures in planning, particularly its unwillingness to make a stronger public case for war and get more allies on our side before the campaign began.”
“Still, if past generations could see how well this war has gone compared with the ones they were compelled to fight at a frightening cost, they would marvel at their posterity’s comparative good fortune. They would marvel, too, at our inability to appreciate the advantages we now possess.”
Stephens’ assessment comes as Operation Epic Fury continues, with U.S. and Israeli forces carrying out coordinated strikes against Iranian targets.
A separate opinion piece published by Al Jazeera also evaluated the military campaign’s progress.
Muhanad Seloom, an assistant professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, wrote that the outcome so far reflects a significant degradation of Iran’s capabilities.
“When you look at what has actually happened to Iran’s principal instruments of power – its ballistic missile arsenal, its nuclear infrastructure, its air [defenses], its navy and its proxy command architecture – the picture is not one of US failure. It is one of systematic, phased degradation of a threat that previous administrations allowed to grow for four decades,” Seloom wrote.
The analysis from Stephens and Seloom comes amid continued debate over the effectiveness and long-term consequences of the conflict, as military operations in the region remain ongoing.