Renowned historian: Trump wants to 'provoke a terrorist attack inside the United States'

Over the past two weeks, the Trump administration has given no shortage of justifications for waging war on Iran, asserting everything from regime change to preventing the country from obtaining nuclear weapons to religious righteousness. According to renowned historian Timothy Snyder, Trump may have another reason we should worry about.

“A purpose of the war on Iran might well be to provoke a terrorist attack inside the United States,” suggested Snyder. “This would provide Donald Trump with a pretext to try to cancel or ‘federalize’ the coming Congressional elections.”

As Snyder pointed out, “Trump has already telegraphed the move.”

Trump has spoken repeatedly about his concerns that the GOP will lose badly in the midterms, and that doing so could have major repercussions not only on his agenda but for the very existence of his presidency. Because of this, he has made it no secret that he intends to manipulate the election, whether through the SAVE America Act—electoral reform legislation that Trump hopes would disenfranchise opposition while giving Republicans greater control over the process—or by declaring an emergency so he can nationalize the elections.

A terror attack within the United States, Snyder says, may be what Trump is counting on to provide that emergency.

Snyder is well-versed in how despots rise to power and then maintain it. A historian specializing in the history of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, he has written several bestselling books on how countries fall into authoritarianism.

According to Snyder, as Trump becomes more desperate about the election and flailing with his efforts in Iran, the idea of benefitting from a terror attack in the United States could grow in appeal, if it hasn’t already. This could push him to commit further war crimes, and “war crimes do not win wars. Instead they provoke further war crimes and other retribution.”

That retribution, said Snyder, could come in any number of forms: attacks from state or non-state Iranian actors, domestic American terrorists, or an opportunistic opponent like Russia. With the FBI warning about a possible Iranian strike against the West Coast, such possibilities may be all too real.

“History is rife with examples of leaders who exploit, generate or manufacture crisis in order to stay in power,” Snyder cautioned. “If we fail to remember history now, we will help the Trump regime generate a sense of panic when the terror attack comes.”

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