US“Maximum pressure”From the Perspective of Bottom-Line Thinking-Taking the Persian Gulf Escort Coalition as an Example

This article attempts to take the formation of the Persian Gulf Escort Coalition after the oil tanker attack and detention as the starting point to discuss the bottom-line thinking of the parties involved in and the dilemma of US“maximum pressure”.The“maximum pressure”is the product of zero-sum thinking.In the case of"maximum pressure",the allies may predict the worst outcome out of bottom-line thinking,which will change their support for the US,resulting in not only being unable to isolate their opponents,but also isolating the US itself.And in the case of"maximum pressure",the opponent will also prepare for the worst out of bottom-line thinking,which will easily make the contradictions more intensified and cause unnecessary strong backlash from the opponent.Under the guidance of bottom-line thinking,out of consideration of history or other factors,allies or opponents may make choices that are different from expectations,leading to the risk of strategic-misjudgment.In summary,the formation of the Escort Coalition in the Persian Gulf was an unsuccessful act of"maximum pressure",and the"maximum pressure"strategy that time did not achieve the expected results because of the bottom-line thinking of the allies.