Let me start with the source of this opinion. Fawaz Gerges is professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. Gerges wrote the following piece for The Guardian : “Trump’s war has backfired spectacularly: Iran is now more influential than ever.”

Here is the subheading: “Tehran has shown that its grip over the strait of Hormuz is its most potent deterrent – arguably more consequential than its now defunct nuclear.” Now for a few paragraphs from his editorial.

“Donald Trump’s decision to go to war against Iran will be remembered as a grave strategic miscalculation – one that has reshaped the region in unintended and destabilising ways. With the ceasefire now extended indefinitely, we can see more clearly how the war has undermined the US’s standing in the world and failed to achieve its core objectives: it has neither brought about regime change in Tehran, nor forced Iran to submit to American demands. Far from it.

By inflicting economic pain far beyond the region and slowing the global economy, Iran has demonstrated that its grip over the strait of Hormuz constitutes its most potent deterrent – arguably more consequential than its now defunct nuclear programme. Control of the strait will be Tehran’s most powerful source of leverage in the years ahead.

And this strategy is not confined to Hormuz. Relying on its Houthi allies in Yemen, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also signalled its ability to threaten the Bab al-Mandab strait at the southern tip of the Red Sea – a choke point through which roughly 8% of global trade and a significant share of the world’s energy and chemical shipments pass. The prospect of disruption at both Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab would amount to a double shock to the global economy.”

There is more to this ongoing story. We do know the incumbent president was advised to not do this. And, it is fairly apparent a clear strategic plan was not in place, nor was a definition of success or an exit strategy. But, Trump is not the first US president to make these mistakes. The lessons of Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam are there to be learned if anyone wants to investigate. My father was in the Korean conflict which did not even earn the “war” moniker, but Americans died for a bloody stalemate.

Call me crazy, but before Americans and our allies die, we should do them the honor of trying to avoid conflict. And, if we must fight – have a plan. The best line from the documentary series “The Vietnam War” by Ken Burns came from a North Vietnamese veteran. Paraphrasing, the only people who think they can win a war have never fought in one.