Peace is a popular concept. Presidents have lied their way into office by campaigning for it many times before Trump perfected the model.
Even Jimmy Carter couldn’t completely resist the impulse to intervene in the Middle East; he just tried to be a little more inconspicuous about it.
Reagan did it, sparking the Ron Paul Revolution. He campaigned on “peace through strength,” then sent American troops into Lebanon and invaded Grenada. (presidency.ucsb.edu)
W. criticized nation-building, advocated a humble foreign policy, and called for restraint in deploying American troops. And then he invented the concept of forever wars. He also invented the precedent of declaring unearned victory, for which history has brazenly mocked him but which his successors richly embraced.
Obama campaigned so effectively for peace that he won a prize for it. And then he not only continued the destructive path of his predecessors but took it to a whole new level:
| Country | Year | What Obama initiated or expanded |
|---|---|---|
| Libya | 2011 | Launched American bombing operations against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, contributing to the overthrow of his government. |
| Syria | 2014 | Launched American airstrikes, deployed special operations forces, and supported armed opposition groups. |
| Yemen | 2009–2015 | Dramatically expanded American drone and missile strikes and began supporting Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthis in 2015. |
| Somalia | 2011 | Expanded American counterterrorism operations, introducing drone strikes and conducting military raids. |
| Pakistan | 2009 | Dramatically escalated the existing American drone war, conducting hundreds of strikes. |
| Iraq | 2014 | Restarted American military operations. |
Obama paused American military operations in Iraq (billing it as an end to the conflict and a victory for America) to redirect resources toward Afghanistan, only to recommit American forces to Iraq three years later.
He left office in January 2017 with American military operations underway in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan… and, of course, his Nobel Prize firmly in hand.
Trump famously campaigned against all of his interventionist predecessors and earned the ire of neoconservatives who all found this reason enough to violate Reagan’s 11th commandment: “Never criticize a fellow Republican.” Some, like Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney, still have not recovered from it.
Interestingly, during his first term, Trump garnered a reputation for being a dove that delighted his supporters and enraged the neocon war hawks from both parties.
It was an insanely unearned reputation… a bar as low as not starting a new, full-fledged war is a barometer of how far U.S. foreign policy had shriveled.
During Trump’s first term (2017–2021), the United States bombed seven countries—the same number as under Obama.
Those seven countries were:
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Syria
- Yemen
- Somalia
- Libya
- Pakistan
However, Trump substantially increased the intensity of American bombing operations, particularly in Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen. His first administration also conducted more drone strikes than Obama’s eight-year administration.
Biden withdrew American troops from Afghanistan in 2021. (presidency.ucsb.edu) But he also ordered strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. (presidency.ucsb.edu) He sent hundreds of American troops back into Somalia and continued airstrikes there. (reuters.com) His administration also provided billions in military aid to Israel and Ukraine. (ap.org)
It was this unearned reputation that allowed for the coalition that won him his second term. Kamala was openly calling for war with Iran, and the neocons salivated over pushing Ukraine deeper into its hellish war with Russia.
Trump vowed to end one before his first day and never start the other. For whatever reason, his first term gave him the capital with libertarians and independents for them to believe him. Even if we didn’t believe him, he was the only one willing to even say it. But…
Across both Trump presidencies, through 2026, he has ordered military strikes in ten countries, exceeding the country count of any other 21st-century president. The additional countries are Iran, Venezuela, and Nigeria.
I don’t have to go into his buffoonish handling of Iran. It is well documented. Of all the war hawk presidents Israel has tried to goad into this war, he was the only one to take the bait. His legacy is that of a criminal who was too stupid not to be tricked into the type of forever war that running against won him his office in the first place.
Here is the question, though… peace is so popular that nearly every modern president got elected by running on it.
Anyway, they all ran and won on it and immediately reversed course. Trump is waging the most unpopular war in memory, and all he had to do to secure his legacy was not wage it. So why do it? Could it be that it really isn’t up to them? Or are they all just bloodthirsty liars who couldn’t wait to get there and put the nation’s finger on the trigger? I don’t know. You tell me.
I do find it ironic that Trump so coveted Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize he bullied María Corina Machado into giving him hers.
That’s a peace-loving president, folks. Aren’t they all?
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Every design in this article is in the AntiWar collection.
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