I trust Trump about as far as I can throw him, and at the end of the day it’s really the Pentagon calling the shots here not the POTUS.

But dudes clearly speaking to a public sentiment here.

    • BynarsAreOk [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      Trump’s actions are often just attempts to satisfy his ego through positive media and supporter reaction. The issue with Iran if you recall is that his main supporter at the time, Fox news had a mixed reaction, with Tucker Carlson being extremely critical, something obviously like hell freezing over.

      You can go and check back on the entire Carlson arc back then but here for example Fox’s Tucker Carlson slammed conservatives for pushing Trump to go to war: ‘About 20 minutes ago we were denouncing these very people as the deep state’

      His base didn’t particularly like that idea, he was MAGA and isolationist and yet he was about to put the US into a war with a nobody-country that wasn’t a threat at the time. It wasn’t Bush post 9/11 even though he thought that was an easy win.

      As soon as the base consolidated into the neutral/negative camp which he didn’t expect, he backed off. Right now his base is very much positive towards ending “Biden’s war” so he is very likely to do it.

      But his base also doesn’t like China so that will be the next target.

    • Diuretic_Materialism [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      2 months ago

      At the very least, you can still argue that Trump was duped by his advisors into thinking that assassinating a “rogue general” can solve the Iran problem.

      Thing is, if that’s the case he can probably be duped again.

      After Soleimani was killed and a war was nearly started with Iran in January 2020, there was still an “oh shit” moment from the Trump government and they quickly walked back and prevented a war from being escalated.

      Is that because he’s genuinely anti-war or cuz some Brass at the Pentagon thought it wasn’t an opportune time to start shit with Iran and told him to cool it?

      Really at the end of the day I don’t think it matters, the PSL could win this Presidential race and it wouldn’t change a thing foreign policy wise (and probably not much domestically either), those aren’t decisions any elected leader has any meaningful sway over.

        • HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org
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          2 months ago

          In doing so, they’ve signed the death warrant for their own credibility as an ally.

          You aligned with the US/NATO explicitly because they were a big, strong military and economic partner, who could provide deterrence, and if that failed, prevent you from losing the war.

          This alliance will deliver Ukraine less-than-zero benefit: they’ll still lose the war, but being propped up and egged on means it will take longer, be bloodier and more destructive, and leave them with more debt.

          Perhaps the “deterrence” factor was limited because they weren’t Core NATO and there was no Article 5 trigger risk. It still suggests there’s no value in cozying up to the institution if you can’t qualify for full membership, and even then, would they really pull out all the stops for a new member of low value?

      • ThomasMuentzner [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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        2 months ago

        Is that because he’s genuinely anti-war or cuz some Brass at the Pentagon thought it wasn’t an opportune time to start shit with Iran and told him to cool it?

        16 or so ballisic missiles pounded the Al Assad Airforcebase and did “Only Braindamage + some later death” to some 100 soldiers… while the USA had Nothing to respond ,even just verbally to respond with some stupid" Though talk" at this moment would have forced Iran to preempty flatten all the Other bases they have there (they nervously shoot down a hole airliner, so they where extremly on edge) … So Imagine there was a collective experiance of “Oh Fuck oh Fuck+ we are Powerless” in the Command center or whatever… Thats some experiance that produces wisedom