While I agree with most of what you posted, I am going to be contest your outlook on Trump on the Isolationist front. While he may be more isolationist minded than typical Republican hawks, everything I have seen is that he is more in the vein of the old "Speak Softly, carry a big stick" style of "isolation" practiced by T. Roosevelt.
Which is to say, he would generally avoid boots on the ground and getting directly involved, but he would pimpslap a ho if needed.
When Assad dropped chemical weapons on the rebels in Syria, Trump ordered the airstrip the chemical attack was launched from flattened with mass cruise missile strike. Suddenly, the chemical attacks stopped.
When Putin started dicking around in Donbass more, Trump broke from the old Obama policy and started authorizing heavy weapons to be sold to Ukraine. Which probably was a godsend because it allowed them to have some knowledge when the time came for a true war.
When some Wagner forces in Syria attempted to attack a US outpost to try and intimidate us, Mattis and Trump gave the order to have them laid the fuck out.
And of course, bringing N. Korea to the negotiating table by responding with "My button's bigger" when they tried to intimidate with nukes yet again.
However, I will concede that he (or at least a ton of his supporters and cohorts) have moved toward a true isolationist policy instead of the "Keep them cowed through fear" style that actually works.
When Assad dropped chemical weapons on the rebels in Syria, Trump ordered the airstrip the chemical attack was launched from flattened with mass cruise missile strike. Suddenly, the chemical attacks stopped.
That was more of a face-saving move since he warned the russians in advance and reports were that enemy aircraft were evacuated before the strike.
When some Wagner forces in Syria attempted to attack a US outpost to try and intimidate us, Mattis and Trump gave the order to have them laid the fuck out.
I have never heard that Mattis, let alone Trump, was involved in that at all. It was just a local action. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khasham It was juts local commanders responding to defend themselves with the assets on hand. The significance of the battle only became apparent later on when it became clear that Wagner was involved in spite of the Russian liaison lying to tell the local commander that no Russians were involved: "According to sources in Wagner, cited by news media as well as the Department of Defense, U.S. forces were in constant contact with the official Russian liaison officer posted in Deir ez-Zor throughout the engagement, and only opened fire after they had received assurances that no regular Russian troops were in action or at risk."
So no, Trump doesn't deserve any credit here.
When Putin started dicking around in Donbass more, Trump broke from the old Obama policy and started authorizing heavy weapons to be sold to Ukraine. Which probably was a godsend because it allowed them to have some knowledge when the time came for a true war.
I don't believe any of that happened. Either the "dicking" or the heavy weapons.
I do know that Trump fucked himself up royally by putting aid to Ukraine on hold and then recording himself in a phone call pressuring Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, implying that Trump was demanding Zelensky do him personal political favors in exchange for the aid Trump had no right to freeze. This caused a huge shitshow that the Democrats wouldn't shut up about, ultimately leading to his 1st impeachment.
And of course, bringing N. Korea to the negotiating table by responding with "My button's bigger" when they tried to intimidate with nukes yet again.
Trump talks big and then legitimizes the enemy in his lust after a "Nixon goes to China" moment which never happened. You know what happened as a result of Trump's weird love-hate relationship with North Korea? Absolutely nothing.
Now let me counterpoint you:
Trump was an absolute cuck with Turkey and the Kurds. He humiliated himself with that letter he wrote to Erdogan bluffing and begging, then getting his pathetic bluff called and backing down like a bitch.
Trump was an absolute cuck in Afghanistan, trying to make "peace" with an enemy that cared only for conquest. Trump's policy was objectively bad and stupid. He did not get anything, he only gave and gave with nothing in return. It was pathetic and one-sided. The Taliban knew they could exploit his weakness and they did. Their offensives began under Trump and he did nothing except ignore them. They greatly accelerated under Biden, and Biden was able to point to Trump and dodge any political damage by using Trump as cover.
Trump was all talk. He wanted people to believe that he was "walk softly and carry a big stick" but he was not. He was a weak bitch. Even Obama had more balls when it came to national defense (not because he wanted to, but so he wouldn't get outflanked). In fact, it is BECAUSE Trump was Republican and a blowhard that he could sell out US foreign policy to the extent he did.
While I agree with most of what you posted, I am going to be contest your outlook on Trump on the Isolationist front. While he may be more isolationist minded than typical Republican hawks, everything I have seen is that he is more in the vein of the old "Speak Softly, carry a big stick" style of "isolation" practiced by T. Roosevelt.
Which is to say, he would generally avoid boots on the ground and getting directly involved, but he would pimpslap a ho if needed.
When Assad dropped chemical weapons on the rebels in Syria, Trump ordered the airstrip the chemical attack was launched from flattened with mass cruise missile strike. Suddenly, the chemical attacks stopped.
When Putin started dicking around in Donbass more, Trump broke from the old Obama policy and started authorizing heavy weapons to be sold to Ukraine. Which probably was a godsend because it allowed them to have some knowledge when the time came for a true war.
When some Wagner forces in Syria attempted to attack a US outpost to try and intimidate us, Mattis and Trump gave the order to have them laid the fuck out.
And of course, bringing N. Korea to the negotiating table by responding with "My button's bigger" when they tried to intimidate with nukes yet again.
However, I will concede that he (or at least a ton of his supporters and cohorts) have moved toward a true isolationist policy instead of the "Keep them cowed through fear" style that actually works.
That was more of a face-saving move since he warned the russians in advance and reports were that enemy aircraft were evacuated before the strike.
I have never heard that Mattis, let alone Trump, was involved in that at all. It was just a local action. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khasham It was juts local commanders responding to defend themselves with the assets on hand. The significance of the battle only became apparent later on when it became clear that Wagner was involved in spite of the Russian liaison lying to tell the local commander that no Russians were involved: "According to sources in Wagner, cited by news media as well as the Department of Defense, U.S. forces were in constant contact with the official Russian liaison officer posted in Deir ez-Zor throughout the engagement, and only opened fire after they had received assurances that no regular Russian troops were in action or at risk."
So no, Trump doesn't deserve any credit here.
I don't believe any of that happened. Either the "dicking" or the heavy weapons.
I do know that Trump fucked himself up royally by putting aid to Ukraine on hold and then recording himself in a phone call pressuring Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden, implying that Trump was demanding Zelensky do him personal political favors in exchange for the aid Trump had no right to freeze. This caused a huge shitshow that the Democrats wouldn't shut up about, ultimately leading to his 1st impeachment.
Trump talks big and then legitimizes the enemy in his lust after a "Nixon goes to China" moment which never happened. You know what happened as a result of Trump's weird love-hate relationship with North Korea? Absolutely nothing.
Now let me counterpoint you:
Trump was an absolute cuck with Turkey and the Kurds. He humiliated himself with that letter he wrote to Erdogan bluffing and begging, then getting his pathetic bluff called and backing down like a bitch.
Trump was an absolute cuck in Afghanistan, trying to make "peace" with an enemy that cared only for conquest. Trump's policy was objectively bad and stupid. He did not get anything, he only gave and gave with nothing in return. It was pathetic and one-sided. The Taliban knew they could exploit his weakness and they did. Their offensives began under Trump and he did nothing except ignore them. They greatly accelerated under Biden, and Biden was able to point to Trump and dodge any political damage by using Trump as cover.
Trump was all talk. He wanted people to believe that he was "walk softly and carry a big stick" but he was not. He was a weak bitch. Even Obama had more balls when it came to national defense (not because he wanted to, but so he wouldn't get outflanked). In fact, it is BECAUSE Trump was Republican and a blowhard that he could sell out US foreign policy to the extent he did.