By Dr. Greg Cochran, ICC Fellow In cooperation with the Nigerian government, the Trump administration recently launched a Christmas attack against Islamic State group strongholds in northwest Nigeria. Political sceptics panned the move as chicanery — a diversion tactic by the president to distract from the Epstein files, ICE arrests, Middle East policies, or something else. Political supporters celebrated the action as though Santa Claus himself had delivered a spectacular gift to Nigeria and the world on Christmas Day. Realistically, however, the actions were measured, not spectacular in either a negative or positive way.