By Manual Keita
Upon returning to the White House in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump declared his intention to avoid “meaningless foreign wars.”
However, already in the first year of his second term, his foreign policy took on a distinctly force-driven character. Large-scale operations against Iran, strikes in Latin America and the expansion of the military presence in Africa and the Middle East indicate a transition to a model of active use of military force to achieve political goals.
Iran: A course toward regime change
The most high-profile step was the joint strikes on Iran carried out with Israel. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, at least 555 people were killed in the attacks. Washington described the operation as a “major military action” aimed at regime change in Tehran. On March 1, the Israel Defense Forces announced the completion of the liquidation of Iran’s top leadership. “Nobody can believe the success we’re having, 48 leaders are gone in one shot. And it’s moving along rapidly,” Trump said.
Trump also declared his intention to “level” Iran’s nuclear missile industry. Noteworthy, the attacks occurred amid diplomatic contacts between the sides, prompting sharp criticism from international law experts, who consider the U.S. actions to be violations of international norms.
According to Reuters, citing a representative of the Trump administration, Washington allegedly had information about a planned strike from Iran, which became the basis for preventive actions by the United States. However, later Pentagon officials told a congressional briefing that there was no convincing evidence of an Iranian attack.
In response to the American-Israeli aggression, Iranian Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi declared jihad against the United States and Israel. Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed that “Iran will have no choice but to fight back,” adding that “Iran cannot reach American soil, so there is no other option but to attack any bases that are under the jurisdiction of the United States.” Tehran has called on the Gulf states to close the U.S. bases located on their territory.
Sources in Israeli security structures also reported coordination with the United States of possible operations against Lebanon. In addition, Trump considers Cuba his next target after Iran. According to The Atlantic, the U.S. president believes that overthrowing the government there could place him above Reagan, Carter, or Nixon.
Latin America: The fight against cartels
In January 2026, the United States attacked Caracas and announced the detention of President Nicolás Maduro. According to the Venezuelan Defense Ministry, 83 people were killed, including representatives of law enforcement agencies and civilians. The operation provoked a harsh reaction in the region and a new wave of discussions about the permissibility of the extraterritorial use of force.
Since the fall of 2025, the United States has also conducted at least 45 strikes on suspected drug trafficking vessels in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Trump administration has equated the activities of drug cartels to an armed attack on the United States, declaring a number of groups to be foreign terrorist organisations. However, UN representatives and experts on international law called this interpretation an extended interpretation that blurs the line between criminal prosecution and military conflict.
During his second term, Trump paid particular attention to Africa. In Somalia, the number of American airstrikes has reached record levels — according to analysts, their number exceeded the combined figures of the administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Against this background, the situation in Nigeria is illustrative. In February 2026, the United States sent military instructors to the country, initially an advance group, followed by approximately 100 additional personnel, bringing the contingent to 200 troops. Formally, the mission is framed as training and advising the Nigerian army in its fight against terrorist groups.
In practice, however, the presence of U.S. forces in Nigeria extends beyond a purely advisory role. Alongside training and coordination with Nigerian forces, Washington intensified its own intelligence operations and carried out targeted strikes against objectives it associates with IS-affiliated structures.
In December 2025, Trump announced “powerful and deadly” attacks in the northwest of the country. However, experts note that in a number of areas that have been hit, the presence of IS has not previously been recorded.
Additional tension arose from Trump’s statements about an alleged “genocide of Christians” in Nigeria. Nigerian officials responded that such an interpretation distorts the complex picture of long-standing intercommunal and resource-based conflicts, in which religious factors are intertwined with socio-economic causes.
For Nigeria, expanding cooperation with the United States has a dual effect. On the one hand, it is access to intelligence information, training, and military equipment. On the other hand, there is an increase in dependence on external support and the risk of being involved into Washington’s broader strategy in the region.
The Middle East: From Yemen to Syria and Iraq
In the spring of 2025, the United States conducted dozens of air and naval strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen. Human rights organisations reported dozens of civilian deaths, including more than 80 people as a result of the strike on the port of Ras Isa. The United States has also attacked IS targets in Syria and Iraq.
The transformation of doctrine
During his second presidential term, Trump has effectively consolidated a doctrine of “coercion by force” — from direct attacks on state facilities to an expanded interpretation of self-defense against non-state actors. Critics describe this policy as a departure from legal constraints and a risk factor for further destabilisation.
At the same time, the administration emphasises that it is about protecting national interests and preventing threats before they materialise. The question of whether such a strategy will become a deterrent or, on the contrary, a source of new conflicts remains open, especially for the states of the global South, including Nigeria, which find themselves in the epicenter of a geopolitical confrontation.
Keita is a writer and researcher in African and international political affairs.
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