Yemen Will Never Back Down

On Dialogue Works, Nima Alkhorshid and Scott Ritter ponder the Peace/War Janus complex exhibited by Donald Trump. The pondering does not lead to solid conclusions, but I think both have missed the most important piece of the puzzle. Trump has always sought gratification at the lowest cost and highest profit. That is an unshakeable part of his persona. If a "negotiated peace and security" can be arranged, fine, so long as the cost is minimal and the return sky high. If "no boots on the ground, but relentless bombing of everything and everyone in sight until submission" is viable at a low cost with sky high returns, then that also is fine. The determining factors are always whether or not plan (A) is accepted, and if not, whether or not the destruction can yield a high profit to cover and exceed the cost.