Opinion: Arrogance, hubris and ideology: How 2025 capped a quarter century of US failures

It is tempting to distill all the chaos, hatred, and blood spilled in 2025 into the small frame of one man: Donald Trump.

It is true that Trump richly deserves the accolade of being the worst, but also the most consequential president in modern US history. 

This president has bombed Iran, allowed Israel to invade Southern Syria, finished the decimation of Gaza and embarked on the annexation of the occupied West Bank. The Emirati-funded and armed ethnic cleansing of Sudan means little to him. A death toll of up to half a million Sudanese is of no consequence.

Three months after unveiling his "big beautiful peace plan",  a reality is established on the ground in Gaza that is its parametrical opposite - an ugly, petty recipe for war without end. 

Israel is not even content to leave over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza shivering and starving in tents. When storms flooded them out, Israelis cheered. 

Read more: Arrogance, hubris and ideology: How 2025 capped a quarter century of US failures by David Hearst