Viewpoints
Opinion

Trump’s Incentive Alignment Doctrine: A Businessman’s Fix for Failed Foreign Policy

Trump’s Incentive Alignment Doctrine: A Businessman’s Fix for Failed Foreign Policy
President Donald Trump arrives for a Medal of Honor Ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 2, 2026. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
|Updated:
0:00
Commentary

President Donald Trump is rewriting the rules of American power in real time—and the world is watching. In late February 2026, U.S. and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury, a precision campaign that decapitated Iran’s top leadership. Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of regime figures are dead. Trump didn’t send ground troops or promise to create a new democracy. He told the Iranian people to take their country back and delivered a blunt warning to whoever comes next: Behave, or you’re next.

Michael Ryall
Michael Ryall
Author
Michael D. Ryall is a game theorist, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, and Harry T. Mangurian Professor at Florida Atlantic University. His research is published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Harvard Business Review and Management Science. He is Founder and Director of the Mortimer J. Adler Fellowship in Transformational Leadership.