The Psychology of Escalation in Foreign Intervention
February 16, 2026
U.S. decision‑making on Iran is increasingly shaped not by structured interagency analysis but by a feedback loop of emotional validation. When a leader repeatedly asks a narrow circle of loyalists whether an action is a “winner,” the question itself becomes a self‑fulfilling prophecy. The result is a foreign policy environment where impulse, affirmation, and narrative gratification override strategic caution.