\n\tTo agree to a two-week ceasefire, as dictated by the US in the war against Iran, which took effect on April 8, 2026, 90 minutes before the 10-day deadline expired and under the threat of eradicating Iranian civilization from the map, represents a practical application of the strategy of maximum pressure, with the aim of securing significant concessions. This concept was previously outlined in the book \u201cTrump: The Art of the Deal\u201d by President Donald Trump, published in 1987 with the assistance of his ghostwriter, Tony Schwartz.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe book was a bestseller upon its release and remains of interest to many. It is considered the modern-day equivalent of \u201cThe Prince\u201d by Niccolo Machiavelli, and it played a pivotal role in transforming Trump from a mere real estate developer in New York \u2014 following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Frederick Trump, who immigrated to America from Germany in 1885 \u2014 into a brand embodying the American success story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe book is part of a collection of over 15 works he authored between 1987 and 2024. Everything on his mind is reflected in his writings, most of which predate his consideration of running for the US presidency. Thus, we are dealing with an extraordinary figure. In contrast, the 10-point plan \u2014 as a framework for negotiations \u2014 is represented by the Iranian document, which includes the lifting of sanctions, compensation, and nuclear commitments. Notably, Trump viewed it as a workable basis, indicating his desire to renegotiate the grand bargain with Iran.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe very idea of direct negotiations serves the interests of both parties, as it fulfills Trump\u2019s desire to achieve a historic accomplishment in his name and serves Iran\u2019s interests in breaking the economic blockade imposed on it. Even the attacks following the announcement of the agreement were not random but deliberate. Through these actions, the Iranians sought to impose their new rules of engagement, affirming their resilience on the ground and strengthening their negotiating position, which began on Friday, April 10, in Islamabad, with Pakistani mediation. I hope Pakistan succeeds where Qatar and Oman have faltered.<\/p>\n
\n\tLooking at the casualty figures from the 39-day war, we find that, according to US Department of War figures, 15 American soldiers were killed and more than 530 others were wounded; the Israelis lost 12 soldiers, and 72 civilians, with a further 7,000 injured in varying degrees; while the Iranians suffered losses amounting to 3,546 deaths, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health and the non-governmental organization Human Rights Activists in Iran.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe US spent approximately $16.5 billion in the first 12 days of operations, according to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The irony is that the biggest winners in this war are China and Russia, as they have drained the capabilities of their American adversary, and the matter did not require direct intervention from them. Perhaps Trump is at the forefront of the political winners, as he succeeded in imposing his grand bargain without full ground involvement, while Iran tops the list of losers, given the scale of destruction to its infrastructure, key leadership, and other areas.<\/p>\n
\n\tTrump\u2019s latest threat against Iran is nothing new for him; the proof is that during his first term, he issued a similar threat when he said he would wipe out North Korea with nuclear weapons, and the result was that its leader, Kim Jong-un, agreed to meet and sit down with him in 2018. Perhaps the \u201cmadman theory\u201d is one of the most controversial tactics in American politics. The idea is that if a leader demonstrates to his opponent that he is irrational and will make reckless decisions, the opponent will agree to back down or make concessions to avoid the worst-case scenario. The first to apply this theory was President Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War, when he threatened the North Vietnamese with the use of nuclear weapons against them if he was forced to do so. The idea is actually relatively old and was mentioned in Machiavelli\u2019s book, specifically in his statement: \u201cIt is sometimes wise to feign madness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tSome experts believe that the reality TV show \u201cThe Apprentice,\u201d which Trump launched and hosted in 2004 and which ran for eight seasons, cemented his image in American popular culture. The evidence comes from a study published in 2018 by Shira Gabriel, a psychology professor at the University at Buffalo in New York, in which she stated that the show forged an indelible bond between him and millions of Americans, portraying him as a strong, decisive, and intelligent leader, and turning him into an icon of American success. According to the study, viewers who identified with him \u2014 both Republicans and Democrats \u2014 voted for him in 2016. It concluded that if it weren\u2019t for the show \u201cThe Apprentice,\u201d Trump would not have become president of the US. Gabriel stated that Trump is the first American president to reach the presidency due to his media fame, which made him seem like a man of the people.<\/p>\n
\n\tTrump is certainly an exceptional and distinctive figure. Who would have expected that his grim-faced photo, taken when he was imprisoned in Georgia after being charged with 91 criminal counts in 2023, would be used as a design printed on T-shirts and mugs, enabling him to raise $9.5 million for his election campaign and boosting his popularity in opinion polls by more than 50 points, after people both inside and outside the US had predicted that he would not run in the election and that his popularity was over. The same image was used, incidentally, after the recent two-week truce. Additionally, his style in debating his opponents was borrowed from his friend, the American wrestler Jesse Ventura, who hosted his wrestling matches at his hotel, Trump Plaza. Ventura deliberately mocked his opponents in the elections and hurled insults at journalists at every turn, which provided him with free publicity and constant media presence, in addition to his frank and shocking remarks. He ran as an independent for the post of Minnesota\u2019s governor in 1998, with no political or governmental experience, and won the election, just as Trump did twice.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u2022 Dr. Bader bin Saud is a columnist for Al-Riyadh newspaper, a media and knowledge management researcher, an expert and university professor in crowd management and strategic planning, and the former deputy commander of the Special Forces for Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia. X: @BaderbinSaud<\/p>\n
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