No. of Recommendations: 2
Oh yeah, a real "calming force" in the world, except where he sees a quick buck by blowing things up.
Again, I don't think he is a "calming force in the world." I was talking about the Middle East, specifically. He doesn't want to see the Middle East catch fire in a regional open war. He's perfectly happy to sow chaos domestically, if he thinks it advances his interests; and he might not mind blowing up trade or business relations, or even NATO itself, over Greenland. But his foreign policy toward the Middle East has been to try to get all the parties to ignore/paper over their ideological or political conflicts and enter into open business and economic arrangements. Open conflict with Iran, or the collapse of the Iranian state, doesn't help with that. So that's why he didn't decide to blow the top off the current unrest with U.S. military action.
Plus, again, we find ourselves with our pants down and no aircraft carrier in the region, at least for the next several days. Since air power projected from aircraft carriers is one of the keystones of our military power, that in and of itself might be enough of a reason not to do anything until we can move one into position.
