Exceptional and dangerous consequences

Exceptional and dangerous consequences

Christopher R. Gibbs

April 9, 2026

I believe the United States of America is exceptional.

I am proud that our nation was founded on values that include revolutionary ideas of liberty, equity, and individual rights, rather than on ethnicity or heritage. I’m proud of our “frontier spirit” that encourages self-reliance and individualism. I’m proud of the constitutional structure that guides us. And I’m proud to accept the special responsibility of being a world leader in the quest for democracy, freedom, and security.

With that special responsibility comes the recognition that true exceptionalism and associated national pride are not static. It is not a pedestal obtained, then rested upon. A greater nation is in constant reflection of its status, responsibilities, and the limitations of its power and influence.

Without that reflection, an unbridled political leadership will leverage that national pride into hubris and arrogance. We are witnessing that in the Middle East today.

Power on paper

This White House has convinced itself that overwhelming power, bigger budgets, better weapons, and unmatched technology guarantee control over weaker adversaries.

From the Vietnam War to the War in Afghanistan, the pattern is unmistakable. The United States walks into conflict assuming superiority will translate into victory. What it finds instead is that weaker countries rarely fight on America’s terms. They don’t need to win outright to succeed; they need to endure.

Beyond this White House, American policymakers often assume adversaries will behave rationally by U.S. standards. That they will prioritize economic stability, avoid prolonged suffering, and ultimately concede under pressure. But countries like Iran are driven by a different mix of ideology, nationalism, and regime survival. They calculate risk differently. They tolerate loss differently. They define victory differently.

That fundamental misunderstanding of how power actually works is once again on display in the current war with Iran. This White House has morphed American exceptionalism into adrenaline-fueled hubris and arrogance.

The finest in the world, bar none

The United States military men and women are the finest, most well-trained, and highly motivated of any fighting force on the planet. They have struck thousands of targets with precision and crippled much of Iran’s conventional military. They have retrieved their fallen through daring and dangerous missions. These are stories made for the history books and Hollywood’s lens. I beam with pride when I see those in uniform, and weep in sorrow at every Dignified Transfer.

Yet even after all our projection of military might, Iran is still adapting, still has the enriched uranium, and is still shaping the literal and economic battlefield in ways the White House’s infatuation with military power obviously didn’t anticipate or value.

Nowhere is that clearer than in the Strait of Hormuz.

Patience is a weapon

While the U.S. dominates the skies and seas, Iran has leveraged geography and persistence to threaten one of the most critical chokepoints in the global economy. And even with the recent reported ceasefire agreement, Iran still has no plans to relinquish effective control of the strait anytime soon. And why would they? With the price of their crude oil supplies exploding and projected fees for rites of passage, this White House has made the war a cash cow for Iran.

That single strategic lever, held by a supposedly weaker nation, has strained global markets and injected uncertainty into the world economy and geopolitical landscape.

Weaker countries don’t need parity. They need leverage. And they are willing to be patient as they seek it.

Wack-a-mole objectives

The United States, by contrast, operates on a political clock. Elections loom. Public opinion shifts. After only six weeks, a majority of Americans want the war to end quickly. Polls suggest the people want closure, even if the White House’s vacillating, ever-changing, “Wack-a-mole” objectives are not achieved.

Iran does not face the same pressure. Its leadership is designed to absorb damage, endure hardship, and wait. In conflicts like this, time itself becomes a weapon. A weapon that we historically struggled to counter.

Dangerous consequences

This White House underestimates weaker countries because it measures power in the wrong ways. It counts tanks and aircraft, but undervalues willpower. It prioritizes speed, while weaker adversaries prioritize endurance. It seeks decisive victories, while opponents redefine winning as simply not losing.

That imbalance does not project my view of American exceptionalism. It leads only to exceptionally dangerous consequences.

~ And that’s the way I see it from where I sit.

Gibbs is a farmer and lives in Maplewood, Ohio. He and his family own and operate 560 acres of crops, hay, and cattle. Gibbs is retired from the United States Department of Agriculture and currently serves as President of the Gateway Arts Council, Chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party, Ohio’s Rural Caucus, and President of Rural Voices USA and Rural Voices Network.