The Godfather Saw What Trump Can't — You Don't Negotiate With Believers
Trump, for the first time in his life, is negotiating with people who are religiously principled. They are willing to die for their beliefs. Their mission, as commanded by their god, is to eliminate the infidels.
He asks, “Don’t you care about the Iranian people?”
Iran’s leadership’s answer is, “The Iranian people are either on our mission or they are not. If they are on our mission, they, like us, are willing to die to obey god’s command. If they are not on our mission, then they are no better than any other infidel.”
Trump’s entire history is negotiating with people whose core values are money and power. He gets them as these are his values.
But even with the entire power and might of the United States military, he can not get the Iranian leadership to capitulate.
It is impossible to negotiate when there is no overlap in values, including the value of life itself. Religious ideology-driven values will win unless they are obliterated with force.
There was a scene in The Godfather II. Michael Corleone, the new head of the family, is in Cuba. He is there to negotiate his piece of Cuba’s future. The Mafia is negotiating with Cuba’s then-president.
Michael is being driven to the meeting. His car is stopped by the police. They are dealing with a protester who is intent on overthrowing the Cuban government. The protestor fights with the police as they try to control him. He sees he is outmanned, so he blows himself up and takes everyone around him with him.
In a meeting with the Mafia boss, Michael says, “This government will not stand. They will lose.” He then tells the story of the protestor.
He concludes with, “The Cuban President can not win against a people who are willing to die for their cause.”
The Godfather, Part II - “They Could Win”
There is no win-win in this negotiation. You win by killing them all. Short of this, you will lose in the long-term and they will prevail and kill you.
Who wants to be the President of the United States?
Every day presents a seemingly intractable problem on the mission of protecting the American people and their allies throughout the world.