Simran Pandita
simranpandita413@gmail.com
As the sun rises in the Persian Gulf today, the world enters day 36 of the conflict that was expected to be a swift surgical strike, intended to bring a 47- year- old regime to halt. However, this ordinary strike has instead turned into a dangerous month – long war. Even though the battle is thousands of miles away from many nations, the middle class in these countries are being caught by the wrath of the war. The impact is most visible across Asia where national emergencies, soaring fuel prices, lockdowns and widespread jobs losses have become the new reality. On 28th Feb, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on Iran when the talks on Iran’s nuclear programme were actively underway between the United States and Iran. The timing of the Operation Epic Fury was not a military choice, it was a psychological one. By attacking in the midst of the talks, the U.S. and Israel pointed out that the era of negotiation was over. This calculated move revealed the true face of Trump’s 2026 administration. The self – proclaimed Peacemaker of 2025 had spent months building a reputation and making people believe the impossible but that was merely a strategic mask, or to put it correctly, perhaps a theatrical act. To understand how the Trump administration reached this 36-day deadlock in the Gulf, we must first look at the ‘First Face’ of this year: the rise of the 2026 Warmonger.
The first face of the 2026 Trump administration
While the world hoped to start 2026 on a quiet note, the Trump administration had a completely different image of 2026 in their minds. Contrary to the peace efforts in 2025 by Trump, On January 3, the United States launched Operation Absolute Resolve in Venezuela. U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, bringing a 25- year old political era to a sudden end. While the stated reasons varied, many analysts believed that the goal was twofold: to secure control over the region’s vast oil resources and to roll back the growing influence of China and Russia in the region.
By invoking the 21st century version of the Monroe Doctrine, the Trump administration signaled that it would no longer tolerate the external powers in the Western Hemisphere. This sent a shockwave across the world, with countries asking if a government could be dissolved over a weekend to protect U.S. interests, who would be next? While many assumed the next target would be another South American state, the administration took a calculated pivot towards the Persian Gulf.
The quick win in Venezuela was a trap for the Trump administration as they believed every government could be toppled just as easily. But when they pivoted to the Persian gulf, they realised that they were not fighting a crumbling government but a fortress. On February 28, the U.S. and Israel collectively launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran. While the stated goals were to destroy nuclear facilities and dismantle the regime, the result was a total collapse of International Humanitarian Law, which is designed to protect civilians from the devastating effects of armed conflict. Modern warfare often claims precision strikes against criminals, but in reality civilians are frequently caught in the crossfire. A tragic example is Minab, where U.S. and Israel jointly strike reportedly hit a primary school killing nearly 175 young girls, showing how even protected spaces can become targets and innocent lives are lost.
One should note, while the United States has spent decades managing a queue of global adversaries, stretching from the South China Sea to Eastern Europe, Tehran has had only one focus i.e. United States. For nearly half a century, they have built an invisible, underground military infrastructure that the world’s most expensive smart bombs cannot reach. As we enter the second month of the conflict, the reality is staggering: trillions of dollars in American military assets, built over 30 years across Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, are going up in smoke. This collapse has forced a desperate Washington to use Pakistan as a diplomatic postman for a 15-point exit strategy. This sudden scramble to end a war they cannot win brings us to the next section.
The second face of the 2026: The Great Paradox
Throughout 2025 and early 2026, Trump labeled himself a Peacemaker, which surprised everyone by switching from threats to sudden negotiations. He claimed he could resolve his 9th war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This attempt to act as a mediator revealed a side of him that even his loyal supporters found hard to align with his tough-guy image. A similar pattern emerged during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict. While Pakistan praised Trump as a “friend of peace,” India directly denied he was involved at all. This revealed that Trump often acted as a peacemaker in name only, without engaging in the actual work of diplomacy.
Ultimately, his decision to form a Board of Peace to supposedly bring harmony to the world only to suddenly shift into a warmonger indicates that his peaceful persona was merely a theatrical act, maybe only to compete with his predecessors like Barack Obama for a Nobel Prize. The 2026 war has finally stripped away this mask, proving that the image of Peacemaker was nothing more than a temporary script for a leader now trapped in a permanent conflict.
India’s stance
While the Trump administration swings between the roles of Peacemaker and Warmonger, India has remained a steady, balanced force. Throughout the 2025 peace theater and the 2026 military crisis, New Delhi has consistently followed its policy of Strategic Autonomy. By refusing to take sides, India has proven that the spirit of the Non-Aligned Movement is more relevant today than ever.
Even as Trump used his “Board of Peace” to build his personal legacy, India maintained a careful distance as an Observer. This move signaled that India supports genuine peace but will not endorse a diplomatic performance. While the U.S. and Israel focused on Operation Epic Fury, India focused on stability, protecting its energy supplies and millions of citizens in the Gulf. In a world of unpredictable leaders and theatrical acts, India’s consistency has made it the true stabilizing power of 2026.
(The author is a Research Analyst at Global Eye Intelligence, a think tank based in Ahmedabad, India.)
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