Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, President Trump bragged about his efforts to try to get the US “out of wars,” then warned that “we may have to get in wars, too. OK?“
Trump continued on talking about how ready the US is for a war with Iran, and how Iran will get hit “like they’ve never been hit before.” The implication is clear that Trump is nominally ending wars, but that America’s hawks will get fresh, new wars to replace them.
That’s likely a rather cynical political ploy, given how much political heat the administration is under for appearing to almost end the Syrian War. That war may not be ending, but offering to trade it for a much bigger Iran War would probably placate many critics.
It’s likely also related to Trump’s interest in portraying himself as generally tough and the best at war. That, and his fondness for threatening Iran with unprecedented horrors seem destined to keep threatening an Iran War forever a possibility.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all of this is, while Trump clearly elaborated in talking about Iran, he said “wars,” which suggests he may be envisioning multiple new military conflicts on the horizon.
But Trump did also say “wars” in the part where he was ending them, suggesting that in addition to Syria, a war which he isn’t ending by any stretch of the imagination, he may be going to do something that appears to end another extent conflict.
Trump opens mouth, random words fall out, plus ‘like never before,’ his favorite con-man deal-closing line. Someone remind him it’s been a while since he’s thrown a word salad at the evil socialists in Venezuela or the immigrant invasion force massing on the Southern border.
Bolton seems to have paid the price of not being able to deliver a realistic Venezuela policy. Being a little soft on the China trade war probably didn’t help. File contained and stewing in its own juices minus one swamp creature.
The economic squeeze on Mexico and human traffickers deterred the migrant invasions. File contained temporarily.
Trump’s doing good, though well shy of great.
What a mess. A Congress that does nothing but foreign policy — in all forms of investigations, impeachments. While Congress does nothing for this country, the President is ending wars, promising to start new wars. The alarm bells are ringing — Saudi Arabia is having mediators going around talking to Iran. Saudis may have found a say to circumvent Yemen Gordian knot, keeping us out of loop. Turkey causing US troops to move, Syria taking over from SDF. Fury abounds, not one thing is succeeding. Not Venezuela, not China.
At this point optics remain. But if this Syria withdrawal turns into yet another muddy situation — it may be Trump’s Rubicon.
All we need is a mutiny in the military, and the third world picture would be complete.
McRaven, ex commander of US SOF, called for a US military uprising in a NYTs op-ed.
Since Trump said it, will now Democrats begin again to oppose war with Iran?
They support things like the misadventure in Syria just to defy Trump. So now, a little reverse psychology.
A little too optimistic of the effects of Trump Derangement Syndrome, but OK.
Exit Syria and Afghanistan. Enter Iran and Venezuela. Keep all oil.
“I always said if you’re going in, keep the oil,” Mr. Trump said at a cabinet meeting Monday. “We’ll work something out with the Kurds so that they have some money, so that they have some cash flow. Maybe we’ll get one of our big oil companies to go in and do it properly.”
I get it; America will send its children to soften up Iran so Turkey can take it over and introduce democracy for the good of Venezuelans.
For that one he needs Congressional OK. He will not ask it and violate the constitution again if he does attack Iran. Apparently he badly needs a real victory over a real foe. Will he parade Iranian prisoners of war down Pennsylvania Avenue?
So much for our pretend Nobel Laureate.
So much for antiwar.com’s adulation of his war monger. When will you wake up from your slumber? You, AWC are getting ridiculous.
And Rand Paul, you coward, where is your protest? Why do you continue to kowtow to a war monger president?
The time has come to know who is with and who is against antiwar. Our President is not with us.
“Rand Paul is right: Trump’s Saudi Arabia troop deployment is an awful idea” 1 hr ago
That’s an unusual show of faith in Congress.
Going to Congress is what Obama did with his Syrian ‘Red Line’ faux pas, knowing full well they didn’t want to own it.
This Congress is a little different; they might totally believe they could pin a war on Trump by voting for one themselves.
Then win the 2020 election as the resultant disaster removes Trump from the Republican ticket, never mind the election itself.
If the moron attacks Iran, their ally Russia, will have somethingn to say about that. Betting JCOS will not go along. Getting into WW III with Russia over Iran would ruin a lot of pensions and retirement plans.
With this statement Trump doesn’t want to be re-elected which is good news…!
He is just trying to sell the Brooklyn Bridge. Jason Ditz is taking his statements too seriously.
Journalism requires reporting was is said, not trump whisperers thinking they know what the hell he means, then cherry-picking the stuff that they like.
Any US attack will result in the destruction of substantial infrastructure in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the effect on the global economy will be catastrophic. The economic fallout inside the US will be immense. The dreams of Empire will end in rubble.
Israel is not likely to be targeted at all by Iran in a U.S.-NATO war, having no U.S. bases or infrastructure directly threatening Iran.
Israeli infrastructure gets torched only if Israel moves militarily on Hezbollah or attacks Iran directly. Israel would not overtly join a NATO war against Iran.
“Trump opens mouth, random words fall out…”
Mork has that exactly right. Why anyone still supports this clueless moron is beyond comprehension. He is the perfect embodiment on how far the US has fallen when this sort of random babbling on the part of the President is accepted without question (except by his enemies, of course.)
“The Peace President” 😂😂😂
Trump is just trying to give Israel a bone since they are unhappy about American troops leaving Syria.
Raimondo was wrong here. Do not trust the pro Israel right wing, ever.
Clever headline and cutting analysis. Still, there’s not much for Trump to faustian-bargain with. Starting a war ends his presidency, the ongoing wars endangers his administration anyway, and, the U.S. is in no position to fight Iran or any other middle power without a conventional humiliation.
Then there’s national state and imperial interests. The longer the U.S. remains in Syria and Afghanistan, the further behind the U.S. will fall in the geopolitical power game. Shutting down the Afghan and Syrian fronts does not change not being able to fight major wars anymore. While that once meant, ‘may as well stay then’ in the calculus, decline is becoming too real.
Then there are globalist interests. The more America continues to dissipate, the more dependent America becomes on frenemies to remain relevant, a significant problem. For them, the dumb giant cannot be allowed to get wise.
Yet we would all be collectively weaker if the U.S. does not wise up. If a real need for war ever did arise, the geopolitical power equation doesn’t change except for the worse. The existing wars of attrition are not being won, Eurasia grows stronger anyway.
Trump seems to understand this, so do America’s enemies. Iran would almost welcome war, as that would very likely remove the U.S. as a regional competitor and globalist enforcer. The attempt to try and ignite some gut domestic thought and debate about the use of war over the heads of obstructionist frenemies at home and abroad, is useful.
The humanitarian warmongers will do anything to regain the Presidency, including denying Trump the political victory of ending even just one war. Even if, had the Democrats been in power, they logically would have to do the same.
Of course, the Dems under a President Hiliarity (or Reps under President Jeb) would likely only come to that conclusion after having started WW IV, right about the time bunker life support ran out.
“…a war which he isn’t ending by any stretch of the imagination…”
No, he isn’t ending it, but it is ending and the most immediate reason it is ending is Trump’s withdrawal. Russia has just brokered a deal between Syria and Turkey for their armies to jointly patrol the entire northern border of Syria under their revised 1998 agreement to prevent PKK invasions into one another’s territory.