Big Picture: The Death of the American Dream
There was a time the world believed in the American Dream — an open society where democracy flourished, where rules were respected, where freedom meant something real. That dream is now officially dead. And America, under its President Donald Trump, has become its own trigger warning for the rest of humanity.
When the United States directly bombed sovereign Iranian territory, it crossed a line even its own citizens never rightfully wanted. The world’s oldest functioning democracy has deployed B-2 bombers, bunker-busters, and Tomahawks to insert itself as an unrestrained military aggressor into a conflict that was, until now, still within the bounds of regional hostility.
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| Image Source: POTUS Trump on X |
Israel may have pushed too far with its relentless attacks inside Iran. But Trump’s America has completely shattered the idea of restraint. This is no longer about alliances or defense; it is about unregulated, erratic, narcissistic authority that can flip a switch at will.
Today Iran. Tomorrow who?
For years, Americans have prided themselves on their democratic processes, on checks and balances, on the rule of law. They seemed to believe in diplomacy not impetuous strikes. They value the power of negotiation against unilateral aggression. Yet here stands Trump — a loose cannon, a wild horse, galloping unchecked through global diplomacy — dragging American credibility into the dirt with him.
And make no mistake, this is no accident; this is the real Trump Doctrine: shoot first, spin the narrative later.
The global community is watching this breakdown of American restraint with growing unease. But in India, the message is even clearer — and more dangerous. Just days ago, the United States warmly hosted Pakistani military chief General Asim Munir. Yes, the same Pakistan that not only continues to shelter terrorists who butcher Indian civilians but now, via its nuclear blackmailing rhetoric, had covertly sought to tie itself into the Israel-Iran war.
This is the same Pakistan whose unfulfilled promises, albeit betrayal to Tehran — vowing nuclear retaliation against Israel — had dangerously expanded its destabilizing influence into the Middle East and beyond.
And yet, Washington chose to entertain Munir. They rolled out the red carpet for the general of a state whose only exports are jihad and instability. This, while India continues to evacuate its citizens from the Iran conflict zone under Operation Sindhu — calmly, strategically, and independently. But Trump’s Washington would rather flirt with failed states than respect functioning democracies. He even overlooked the mayhem that Osama bin Laden brought to the American people. That Pakistan secretly provided him a safe heaven for years and years until he was eliminated. And where? Well, deep inside the Pakistani territory.
And that, right there, is the death knell of the American Dream.
The world no longer needs a reckless superpower that treats international law like an optional accessory. The world needs stabilizers, not incendiaries. And India may be quietly emerging as one such stabilizer — talking to all sides, evacuating its citizens, helping its neighbour evacuate their citizens, maintaining its own security posture, and building long-term alliances with credible partners who respect sovereignty and law.
Modi’s phone call with Iran’s leadership was a diplomatic warning shot — signaling that India is watching closely and its patience is finite.
The problem with America today is not its military might. The problem is that under Trump, it is wielded with no moral compass. The White House has become a theater of impulsive egos, self-promotion, and calculated theatrics that insult not just America's allies, but its own citizens who still believe in what their country once stood for.
This is not democracy. This is a circus masked as statecraft.
For India, the lessons are vital. America’s internal chaos should serve as a cautionary tale: never depend on fragile alliances built on personality cults. Never forget that the only reliable partner India has — is India itself.
India's playbook must remain one of sovereign clarity: defend its people, secure its borders, build its independent partnerships, and refuse to be anyone’s bargaining chip in Washington’s declining empire of transactional diplomacy.
Because as we are seeing in real-time, the American Dream has violently collapsed under its own weight. And for the world’s oldest civilization, that collapse is both a warning and an opportunity to lead by example.
(Saket Suman is the author of The Psychology of a Patriot. Among other roles, he was a Special Correspondent at The Times of India and the head of Arts/Books/Culture verticals of what was India's largest independent newswire.)
(Views Expressed Are Author's Own and Do Not Reflect The Views of This News Outlet)