USA stepping down as world police?
Trump calls the tanker attacks in the Persian Gulf “very minor” and indicates he is not prepared to go to war over them - a softer stance than many lawmakers as well as his own officials. Trump told Time that the Gulf of Oman is less strategically important for the United States than it used to be. "Other places get such vast amounts of oil there. We get very little. We have made tremendous progress in the last two and a half years in energy. So we’re not in the position that we used to be in the Middle East where some people would say we were there for the oil." "We are energy independent now. If Iran messes with the Gulf, China is the real loser. That energy is the lifeblood of their economy. Why save China? European countries as well. If the Iranians are actually a threat to the continued flow to those nations, let them form a coalition and fight for it." https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-characterizes-alleged-attacks-by-iran-on-oil-tankers-as-very-minor/2019/06/18/4f2796f4-91c7-11e9-aadb-74e6b2b46f6a_story.html
This isn't really a surprise, Trump is an anti-globalist who has repeated stabbed his cabinet hawks in the back. Remember Bannon?
Bannons the ultimate anti-globalist. But yeah there were others that he’s had to dismiss and there’s probably more that still will be shown the door
Bannon is anti-globalist but has a really hawkish tendency to see external threats and make enemies. Ironically, Trump has much more of a friendly veneer... I agree that maybe wasn't the best example, but Bannon is I think correctly described as a security hawk. Trump really deserves credit for (and I don't think there's many things that fall in that category) destroying the warmongering hawks that no one really supports anymore.
And China subsidized fuel. And greatly for mass transit, taxis etc. so their increase in oil hits the China regime in the pocket book
No, the US just isn’t in a place to actually do anything so the risks of strengthening Iran’s leadership even more outweigh the US’s long term desire for regime change in Iran. It’s not like the US is cutting the military and pulling bases out of scores of countries.
Are you arguing that the U.S. Navy isn’t in a position to sink some Iranian speed boats? Or fire a missile at a port? No this is truly an example of strategic restraint. As well as an opportunity to forward the goal of burden sharing in the security realm
No, I’m arguing that the US is not in a position to unilaterally attack Iran and risk escalation of a conflict.
I think this is one of the only things I’ve ever agreed with Trump on
I bet if you start bypassing the MSM and evaluating his policies through your own eyes you may see that there is more things you would agree with
I bet some backroom deal got made with the Iranians and Trump is walking back Bolton's rhetoric now.
Do you have any evidence for that or is this just feelings?
This wouldn't be particularly interesting news if Trump hadn't torpedoed the nuclear deal, arguably the most intricately designed piece of statecraft since the Marshall Plan, all because he didn't like that Obama set it up. *Not* being in a conflict with Iran is the status fucking quo. The only reasons tensions have been heightened so significantly are entirely our own creation. Showing military restraint with a sovereign nation is a bar so low you could trip over it.
Your funny
It’s funny how Iran is still able to immediately ramp up production on uranium even after signing this supposedly great piece of statecraft from Obama reducing their nuclear capabilities. It really goes to show that giving radical Islamic authoritarians a ton of money might have not been a great idea.
Honestly, he takes a different approach but still has the same goal as me: Don’t bomb and kill innocent people in a foreign country. 👍 I’m rocking 100% on that goal and Trump is on this issue.
It’s a saudi false flag operation so we definitely shouldn’t take the bait a second time
Cadet Bonespurs is and always has been all talk.
This move seems absolutely brilliant. Everyone expects the US to do the typical world police bit. Here we are saying actually we’re good, and call out that iran has no leverage over US you know people are squirming in Brussels and elsewhere right now too. Love it
Amazing. This is the first thing trump seems to have handled well. Well played