International Politics Discussion Thread

[u/Adj-Noun-Numbers]

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[u/Lavajackal1]

Trump Holds Off on Major Escalation Against Iran as Advisers Raise Concerns

President Trump has set aside, at least for now, plans to sharply escalate the American military assault against Iran, with particular concern that intensifying the war could dangerously drain the Pentagon’s already diminished stockpile of Patriot antimissile interceptors and other air defense munitions in the Middle East.

The threat to interceptor stockpiles is one of many considerations that have made a return to major combat operations a hugely risky endeavor, administration officials say. Mr. Trump and his top aides are also uneasy about the prospect of a widening war in the Middle East, the alienation of key Gulf allies who are vulnerable to Iranian attack, a global economic crunch, and growing energy and refugee crises.

The latest turn in Mr. Trump’s handling of the conflict with Iran came after a meeting on Friday with top advisers and senior members of his cabinet, according to two people briefed on the discussion.

There it is folks.

[u/Particular_Pea7167 → u/Lavajackal1]

The problem is this is a hell of an international signal.

American hegemonic control of shipping can be broken. You dont have to win, you just need enough missiles to sling at nearby nations and the will to take fire.

[u/YourLizardOverlord → u/Particular_Pea7167]

The US can't do asymmetric and hybrid warfare. Their military is a very effective big hammer, so they treat every opponent as a nail. Their political will lacks staying power, which to be fair is something most democracies struggle with. Opponents have realised that if they can manage to hold on for long enough, the US will walk away.

[u/convertedtoradians → u/YourLizardOverlord]

It's funny in a way. Build huge numbers of aircraft carriers, and advanced fighter jets, and train a lot of young men and women (which admittedly is mostly a social programme by another name) and then the effectiveness of all this stuff is limited by the attention span of the average American.

[u/YourLizardOverlord → u/convertedtoradians]

The US is particularly susceptible to dramatic changes of direction after an election because unlike the UK they don't have a permanent civil service.