Trump and Putin are showing the world what dumb power can do

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin aren't just waging wars—they're demonstrating a new kind of power that’s not strategic, but spectacularly dumb. In a blistering critique, political editor Peter Harcher argues that both leaders are not merely evil or selfish, but fundamentally incompetent, having launched unprovoked wars with no plan for victory or exit. Their failures—Putin’s five-year war in Ukraine with 1.3 million Russian casualties, Trump’s failed campaign against Iran that’s driving global inflation and fuel shortages—are not just costly, but emblematic of a deeper hubris: a refusal to listen to experts, learn from history, or adapt. Yet amid this chaos, a stark contrast emerges: Xi Jinping’s quiet, non-kinetic conquest of maritime territory in the South China Sea—through 'salami slicing' tactics, dredging, and military buildups without firing a shot—has succeeded where brute force has failed. Harcher calls it 'brilliant,' a strategy that avoids war while achieving dominance. The real danger? Trump and Putin may be too arrogant to learn from China’s example. Instead, they’re appointing unqualified allies—like a homebuilder as intelligence chief and far-right conspiracy theorists to their inner circle—further entrenching personal control over state functions. The world’s most powerful nations are now run by men who can’t win wars, won’t admit mistakes, and are doubling down on the very failures that are unraveling their credibility.