‘Desires Nobel Peace Prize’: Ex-Pentagon official slams Trump over Asim Munir visit, says, ‘has no idea about history’
Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin criticised US President Trump's approach to international conflicts, emphasising bipartisan support for India and growing unease over Pakistan's ties with China.
Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, raised significant concerns about US President Donald Trump's approach to international conflicts, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia.
Speaking to ANI, Rubin accused Trump of lacking a deep understanding of historical context and prioritising personal goals—such as securing a Nobel Peace Prize—over the strategic interests of the United States.
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He further argued that Trump’s diplomatic approach is fundamentally flawed, often marked by moral equivalence and a failure to distinguish clearly between right and wrong in complex international situations.
“The problem with Donald Trump is that he doesn't have a full sense of history. He's prone to more equivalence; he will put other countries' national security below his own desire to win a Nobel Peace Prize,” said Rubin.
This approach, Rubin warned, could escalate tensions between countries like Pakistan and India, and Israel and Iran.
“If Donald Trump doesn't understand that he needs to shred the moral equivalence and call out who is right and who is wrong, the conflicts in the region, be it between Pakistan and India, and between Israel and Iran, are going to become much worse before they are going to become better,” said Rubin.
His comments come amid the visit of Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, to the White House.
“Before Asim Munir went inside the White House, Donald Trump had said that Pakistan is America's friend,” said an ex-Pentagon official.
Is Donald Trump threatening Pakistan in private?: Rubin
Rubin noted that Trump is enamoured with generals, which may influence his interactions with Asim Munir, who holds more power than Pakistan's prime minister.
“President Trump is enamoured with Generals. We've known that since his first term. Second, it's a reality that Asim Munir has more power than the Prime Minister of Pakistan... Donald Trump is simply reflecting the reality without the diplomatic polish,” Rubin said, adding, “The issue becomes, did Donald Trump tell Asim Munir that his actions risk a covert response that the Pakistanis will not be able to abide by and not like? Is Donald Trump threatening Pakistan in private, to allow it to save face in public?”
Rubin also stated that Pakistan is hardly an independent country anymore, acting as a Chinese proxy, and that China's chief interest is ensuring the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. He also advised Pakistan to cease its terrorist sponsorship, stating that it will ultimately pay the price for its actions.
“My advice to Pakistan is to cease its terrorist sponsorship. It can try to take advantage of any world leader, but ultimately, it is going to pay the price. Indeed, we see with Pakistan's own internal discord that it has paid a great price,” said Rubin.
Rubin stressed that India alone is responsible for its national security and should base its decisions on reality, not promises from temporary leaders.
"India alone is responsible for its national security. It needs to base its national security on reality, not the promises of temporary leaders and insincere partners. Donald Trump may want to pretend that he is the fulcrum of negotiations, but ultimately, the only person who should decide what's good for India is those within India's government and Prime Minister Modi himself. India needs to realise that Donald Trump alone is not in charge of US policy. The US Congress is, and it, in a bipartisan manner, embraces India. We are far less willing to let Pakistan's malign and terrorist sponsor behaviour slide than perhaps the White House," Rubin told ANI.
Rubin suggested India should sometimes ignore advice from Washington, prioritising its own national security interests, similar to how Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu has done in the past.
"Sometimes it is important for India to simply ignore the advice or the commands they are getting from Washington, much in the same way that Benjamin Netanyahu ignored the desire of President Trump and put Israel's national security first and foremost...," said Rubin.
Rubin highlighted the bipartisan support for India in the US Congress, which is less willing to tolerate Pakistan's malign behavior
"There is little mood in Washington for Pakistan's nonsense. If Pakistan thinks that it can fool the United States, ultimately, Asim Munir is going to end up like his Iranian military counterpart...," added Rubin.