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Biden is escalating conflict with China, Russia and Iran (via Israel) all at the same time. I hope he knows what he is doing.

sudosysgen 6y ago
I mean, he doesn't really have a choice. If he didn't, the US would be perceived as having a position of weakness and it would be taken advantage of by powers that want to tilt the balance away from the US's hegemonic position.
DFHippie 6y ago
I seriously doubt Biden played any role in Israel's attack on Iran. Also, is reacting to provocation escalation? If you let other countries abuse you, is that de-escalation? I mean, it could be, but there will be people who argue both sides of both positions. I don't know exactly what would de-escalate each situation. Most likely it varies by participants involved. However, it is not obviously the case that reacting to provocations with sanctions is escalation.
throwaway4good 6y ago
Kissenger (or some other geopolitics thinker of the realist school) would say play your enemies out against each other and don't solidify an alliance between Iran, China and Russia. I don't understand what drives Biden? Is this about ideology?
- sudosysgen 6y ago
  This is a neglected effect of US sanctions. It forces all of the US's enemies to ally themselves with each other, at least economically. This is about the US wanting to look and act like they still dominate.
  - throwaway4good 6y ago
    Is about looks? The US used to be smart when it came to geopolitics.
    - sudosysgen 6y ago
      Eh, the US wasn't always all that smart. For example, the Domino theory was a massive miscalculation, and so was the failed invasion of Cuba. But it was certainly quite competent, and importantly the US geographically is absolutely blessed to a ridiculous extent, the US is kind of "playing on easy mode" in many ways.
    - nickik 6y ago
      The US was just so much larger and so much more powerful then anybody else that its mistakes didn't actually fuck anything up. The whole thing with the US is that it is basically secure with friendly neighbors and before China was the largest economy in the world by a huge margin for 100 years. The amount of absurdly idiotic mistakes the US made are mind-blowing. The US response to Mosaddegh taking the oil from the British for example was utterly idiotic. The British literally sold the US on the idea that Mosaddegh was possibly a communist. The US walked out of the conference to settle Vietnam and that eventually (with more dumb choices). The Vietnam war itself serves as one of the single most idiotic strategic decisions ever. The US Iraq policy looks like the action of a complete mad man. US just spent 20 years in Afghanistan fighting an enemy that had basically nothing to with the reason they invaded originally. While some of the people they invaded for originally are in Yemen and get cover from the US supported air-force. And lets ignore what a complete and other fuckup Wilson made in WW1. The problem is, non of those are actually relevant, for a country the size of the US, 20 years uselessly throwing money down the drain Afghanistan. Who cares, a gigantic economy and a private army, what is a couple 100 billions more in debt. If you don't use conscription the Anti-War movement is not big enough to matter. Or its 20 years of hopelessly trying to prevent North Vietnam from winning only to become basically allied with them not so long after. What is a couple of trillions spent and a coupe 10ks of casualties.
- nickik 6y ago
  US foreign policy is deeply illogical. There is no overarching long term strategy. Is whole bunch of legacy polices that persist depending on various lobbying interest, inertia and situational responses. Add on top each president has their own ideas that are then promptly reversed by congress. You basically end up with gigantic mess that makes little logical sense.
hn8788 6y ago
He pretty much has to. From what I read in Jim Mattis's recent book, Obama and Trump both significantly damaged the credibility of the US military among allied nations. If Biden lets the USA appear weak and unwilling to push back against other super powers, then smaller nations are likely to change their allegiances to whoever they think will keep them safe.
- throwaway4good 6y ago
  Sure. But he could have picked them apart one by one. Do you really want a strongly allied China-Russia?
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]

sudosysgen 6y ago

I mean, he doesn't really have a choice. If he didn't, the US would be perceived as having a position of weakness and it would be taken advantage of by powers that want to tilt the balance away from the US's hegemonic position.

DFHippie 6y ago

I seriously doubt Biden played any role in Israel's attack on Iran. Also, is reacting to provocation escalation? If you let other countries abuse you, is that de-escalation? I mean, it could be, but there will be people who argue both sides of both positions. I don't know exactly what would de-escalate each situation. Most likely it varies by participants involved. However, it is not obviously the case that reacting to provocations with sanctions is escalation.

throwaway4good 6y ago

Kissenger (or some other geopolitics thinker of the realist school) would say play your enemies out against each other and don't solidify an alliance between Iran, China and Russia. I don't understand what drives Biden? Is this about ideology?

sudosysgen 6y ago
This is a neglected effect of US sanctions. It forces all of the US's enemies to ally themselves with each other, at least economically. This is about the US wanting to look and act like they still dominate.
- throwaway4good 6y ago
  Is about looks? The US used to be smart when it came to geopolitics.
  - sudosysgen 6y ago
    Eh, the US wasn't always all that smart. For example, the Domino theory was a massive miscalculation, and so was the failed invasion of Cuba. But it was certainly quite competent, and importantly the US geographically is absolutely blessed to a ridiculous extent, the US is kind of "playing on easy mode" in many ways.
  - nickik 6y ago
    The US was just so much larger and so much more powerful then anybody else that its mistakes didn't actually fuck anything up. The whole thing with the US is that it is basically secure with friendly neighbors and before China was the largest economy in the world by a huge margin for 100 years. The amount of absurdly idiotic mistakes the US made are mind-blowing. The US response to Mosaddegh taking the oil from the British for example was utterly idiotic. The British literally sold the US on the idea that Mosaddegh was possibly a communist. The US walked out of the conference to settle Vietnam and that eventually (with more dumb choices). The Vietnam war itself serves as one of the single most idiotic strategic decisions ever. The US Iraq policy looks like the action of a complete mad man. US just spent 20 years in Afghanistan fighting an enemy that had basically nothing to with the reason they invaded originally. While some of the people they invaded for originally are in Yemen and get cover from the US supported air-force. And lets ignore what a complete and other fuckup Wilson made in WW1. The problem is, non of those are actually relevant, for a country the size of the US, 20 years uselessly throwing money down the drain Afghanistan. Who cares, a gigantic economy and a private army, what is a couple 100 billions more in debt. If you don't use conscription the Anti-War movement is not big enough to matter. Or its 20 years of hopelessly trying to prevent North Vietnam from winning only to become basically allied with them not so long after. What is a couple of trillions spent and a coupe 10ks of casualties.
nickik 6y ago
US foreign policy is deeply illogical. There is no overarching long term strategy. Is whole bunch of legacy polices that persist depending on various lobbying interest, inertia and situational responses. Add on top each president has their own ideas that are then promptly reversed by congress. You basically end up with gigantic mess that makes little logical sense.

hn8788 6y ago

He pretty much has to. From what I read in Jim Mattis's recent book, Obama and Trump both significantly damaged the credibility of the US military among allied nations. If Biden lets the USA appear weak and unwilling to push back against other super powers, then smaller nations are likely to change their allegiances to whoever they think will keep them safe.

throwaway4good 6y ago
Sure. But he could have picked them apart one by one. Do you really want a strongly allied China-Russia?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]