Beirut —
Strip away the bombast and superlatives. Let the apocalyptic, threat-laden deadlines slide. The dynamics of President Donald Trump’s war on Iran suggest it is likely to end with a whimper not a bang.
Trump has stumbled into the trap of many presidents before him: the illusion of a swiftly executed military operation, bringing enduring political change. But war and peace is never that binary. And as Trump gives his negotiators more time to make headway, the stage is increasingly set for the vague greyness that usually ends conflicts, to limp this one to a close: talks.
Wartime leaders tend to speak in absolutes, and Trump has been keen to exude many. But his most grandiose…