The US went to war with Iran calculating on a quick victory, then — as fantasy encountered reality — shifted to a host of disparate objectives, few of them yet achieved. After debacles in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, the US has once again demonstrated the limitations of deploying the world’s most powerful military to achieve strategic objectives, especially aims that the president doesn’t clearly articulate. The conflict has not reached a final resolution, and the next stage is unclear. But it has unleashed unintended consequences on the new Middle East order and the US’ place in it. There are now compelling reasons to ask whether the war, while far less costly for the US compared to past military entanglements, could mark a turning point.