Trump’s Bullying And Its Consequences: A Wakeup Call For Iran, North Korea And Many Others

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. The International Atomic Energy Agency was charged with monitoring Iran’s compliance with the agreement. On the U.S. side, the president is required every six months to certify Iran’s compliance with the agreement. A debate on whether this was a good or bad agreement is no longer on the table. It is an agreement and if the word of the signatories is to mean anything in the future, signatories must abide by the agreement or be held accountable in the court of world opinion.

President Trump has not and does not like the agreement. Additionally and outside of anything in the JCPOA, his administration abhors the regime in Tehran. It is President Trump’s right to like or dislike this and any other agreement but there are consequences if he does not abide by an agreement that has been signed by the United States. In this case, the U.S. would also be breaking rank with the other five signatories. The U.S. would signal to the world that from now on its word is meaningless, that Washington can change its mind whenever it wishes but will hold others to their word. America has military might and will bully others into submission. That means that in today’s setting, North Korea cannot rely on any agreement it could reach with the U.S., thus Pyongyang would be encouraged to continue perfecting its nuclear arsenal; Iran would be enticed to build its defensive capabilities and ramp up its research into nuclear technology; and a host of other countries would think again about their nuclear capabilities and could withdraw from the NPT (the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons).