Our wartime commander-in-chief, the best 13-star general ever,
on full-blown war footing --
he inspires great confidence and
he sees clearly through the dense fog of war
In synch with Trump's usual amateur style, the letter letter sloppily argues after the fact excuses. It is not a professional Article 51 report. Like a hastily written report of an unread book, the letter asserts superficial excuses such as self-defense, collective self-defense, necessity, proportionality, and threat imminence. Little to no factual or legal explanation (and this) ties the excuses Trump's actual use of force. And, the bombast is right out of a pompous blowhard's lecture. Phrases like "religious war of annihilation", "cynical lawfare strategy", and "uniquely dangerous actor" make it sound important, but they fail to satisfy the Charter’s reporting function.
Finally, his letter says the strikes were "necessary and proportionate", but it does not show why force was necessary or proportionate instead of continued diplomacy, containment, or any other measures. It also relies heavily on Iran’s past conduct and rhetoric, but a thorough Article 51 analysis needs to show a tighter connection between the specific threatened attack and the specific defensive response. The letter also leaves out evidence that matters most, namely what exact Iranian actions provoked the attack, what non-force options were attempted, and how the scale of Trump's response was limited to necessity and proportionality.
This homework gets an F.
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