Do you think Biden will start a war?

I hope he doesn’t.

No – he is pushing bringing diplomacy back in foreign affairs. I don’t have a clue as to why you would think that.

@janbb I didn’t say I think that. I’m asking what you think. Thanks for answering. :)

OK – to be clearer, why would you even raise the question?

War against stupid and dangerous trumpism I hope.

@Demosthenes Do you think Biden will?

And by the way @Demosthenes, what do you call Jan. 6, 2021?

@janbb An article about Afghanistan got me thinking about the fact that no president has been able to get us out of there and Biden will probably be no different. Then I started thinking about the fact that Trump didn’t get us involved in a new conflict like every previous president for the past several decades has. I certainly hope Biden doesn’t get us involved in a new war, but Biden has been framed in some ways as “back to business as usual” and “back to business” in this country means getting involved in overseas wars. So we’ll see what happens.

@chyna To answer my own question, no, I don’t think Biden will start a war because I think getting involved in “regime change” conflicts is less popular now than it ever has been in our country’s history. There was a time when not supporting the Iraq War meant you “loved the terrorists”, now politicians brag about having opposed it. After seeing the backlash from both sides when the possibility of war with Iran came up during Trump’s presidency, I think it would be very difficult for Biden to get us involved in a new conflict.

No. But if he does, I’m sure he will let the generals fight it.
You can’t always avoid war. Like the US back before Dec. 7, 1941, if you don’t do anything you could lose everything.

I am trying to remember exactly which war Obama initiated.

^ Well, “war” is a slippery concept. But I think you’re looking for the 7 countries that the Obama administration bombed: Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, and Yemen (as well as supporting and participating in Saudi Arabia’s brutal bombing of Yemen).

@hello321 correct me if I am wrong but wasn’t Obama there only as a participating country with Nato?

We’re not at war with Iran but tearing up the Iran nuclear deal unilaterally made it more likely. Hopefully it won’t happen.

Biden seems like the kind of person to avoid conflict at all costs.
Consider this fact.
That Wars keep the economy going, by keeping the military engaged and working thus no longer unemployment .
If the Military were not needed, do they still get paid?

There are a few troubling signs. We were energy independent, now we’re not. By letting go of our energy production, less fracking, less drilling, fewer pipelines, we are positioning ourselves to be dependent on the Middle East. That means we will be more involved in that area. Not a good sign. Also China is gearing up to challenge us both economically and militarily. If China sees Biden as weak they may be inspired to move too far too fast. I believe in the motto ‘Peace through Strength’. China merely believes in ‘strength’.

Biden seems too willing to let others make the call, let the experts decide. We have civilian leadership of the military for a reason. I’m not sure that letting the generals decide issues of war and peace is the right strategy. Biden may wake up soon but there are reasons to worry.

Representatives from Iran and China were on Fareed Zakaria today, you might be interested in the episode.

I strongly believe that Biden’s success or failure as President will hinge on 2 factors, the first being the caliber of his appointments, and the second is best defined as circumstance or luck. The one thing which has grown more apparent to me in my lifetime is that Presidents in our country are to a large extent victims of the circumstances they inherit.