Former Trump administration official John Bolton mentions the “United States” or “America” exactly 351 times in his new memoir, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.” “Iran” or “Iranian,” however, appears 755 times.
I know that there are plenty of Democrats who are giddy at anything anti-Trump, but I wonder if they actually want a war with Iran, especially if Biden wins the presidency. Wars are expensive, and if Biden fails to reconcile with the Democratic base via improving education and providing community development funds, he's sure to be a one termer. Nor do I see too many people complaining about the rest of America going "thanks for the anti-Trump revelations, now hit the road Johnny Boy" and boldly placing the Neocon-Neolib foreign policy on the ignore list.
So what's this thread about? US foreign policy in light Bolton's book. It's quote time:
I can easily find more quotes - but you get the gist: nuclear arms race with Russia, sanctions against China, invasion of Iran, preempetive strike against North Korea, regime change via Juan Guaido in Venezuela, and that's just for starters. Never mind the fact that Russia's going to conduct asymmetric arms race, (meaning that Russians would be able to keep up while spending much less money by focusing on key areas,) that China might take an even more aggressive stance due to sanctions, that the Invasion of Iran ended in disaster during the Millennium Challenge in 2002, that a preemptive strike against North Korea might leave Seoul in ruins, and that, even if he comes to power, Juan Guaido is extremely unlikely to rally Venezuela, thus creating yet another Iraq, Bolton wants a war, and Neocons/Neolibs seem all too happy to do it.
Some have even posited that engaging on multiple fronts might bring Americans back together. So, where do you stand on Foreign Policy, NSG? Is John Bolton right? Or will sanity prevail? I follow the realist camp on Foreign Policy: https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/04/30/wh ... gn-policy/
Harvard Scholar Stephen Walt is one of the best Realists out there:
Here's a summary of what would've happened if Realists were running the show:
#1. No war in Iraq.
#2: No "Global War on Terror."
#3. Staying out of the nation-building business.
#4. A restrained strategy of "Offshore Balancing."
#5. No NATO expansion.
#6: No Balkan adventures.
#7. A normal relationship with Israel.
#8: A more sensible approach to nuclear weapons.
#9. No Libyan intervention.
#10. A growing focus on China.
Did the realists get everything right? Nope. Poland's a good NATO member, Afghanistan might've been built properly, a special relationship with Israel helps, and so on. However, compare that list with the disaster we have today. I'd rather have no War in Iraq and Poland not in NATO, than a War with Iraq and Poland in NATO, and yes, Neoliberals like Clinton and Biden supported the war. The Balkan Adventures still have Europe reeling, and played a destructive role in the EU. Slave markets are open in Libya.
Anyways, NSG, what's your recipe for Foreign Policy, and what do you think of Bolton's Foreign Policy? His opinion on President Trump is best left for another thread.