Retired Army Special Forces officer and former Pentagon official Steven Bucci joined Chicago’s Morning Answer to assess the latest flare-ups in global conflicts—from the unraveling ceasefire in Gaza to the grinding war in Ukraine and renewed tensions in Venezuela.
Bucci said Hamas’s latest tunnel attack that killed two Israeli soldiers was both tragic and predictable. “Hamas isn’t a disciplined organization,” he noted. “When radicals believe violence is divinely mandated, ceasefires rarely hold.” He warned that Israel cannot be expected to remain passive after direct violations of agreed truces, despite international pressure to restrain its response. “You can’t tie Israel’s hands,” Bucci said. “That’s what past U.S. administrations tried—and it didn’t work.”
Turning to President Trump’s comments about potentially disarming Hamas “with or without Israel,” Bucci said Netanyahu would cooperate but maintain autonomy. “Trump can cool things down, but Netanyahu isn’t his subordinate,” he said. “If Israel’s security is on the line, he’ll act.”
On Ukraine, Bucci described President Zelensky’s insistence that Russia is not winning as “optimistic but not inaccurate.” He said the country’s resilience two years into the war proves Moscow’s military weaknesses but acknowledged Ukraine’s mounting toll. Regarding U.S. weapons support, Bucci said Trump’s reluctance to send Tomahawk missiles reflects real limits. “We don’t have an unlimited stockpile,” he explained. “Washington may instead look for long-range options short of Tomahawks that still give Kyiv more reach.”
Bucci also addressed the Trump administration’s hard line against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, whose regime survives largely on narcotics revenue. “Trump will talk to almost anyone, but not to a narco-trafficker,” Bucci said. “He’s trying to squeeze Maduro economically and politically until Venezuelans remove him themselves. If that opens the door to a democratic transition, all the better.”
Bucci said Trump’s strategy aims to restore deterrence without committing U.S. troops: “He wants to project strength, but not repeat the mistakes of occupations past.”