War's End

War’s End? We’ve honored the character and acts of Jimmy Carter upon his death, as we should. But most of the honor was due to his works after he left his one-term presidency, defeated by Ronald Regan. People voted for a starkly different candidate (as they did with Trump after both Obama and Biden). One of Carter’s great blunders was his handling of the Iranian hostage crisis, that lasted for over a year. While there was international pressure and economic compromises, the overwhelming pressure was probably from that election of Ronald Regan, who was seen as someone who would be far more forceful than Jimmy Carter. Regan fired the air traffic controllers who illegally went on strike. Now we apparently have a cease fire in the Israeli/Hamas war which seems to be due to the same factor: In this case, a threatening Donald Trump replacing a wavering and weak Joe Biden. It isn’t unreasonable to believe that Ukraine will settle its war with Russia in a similar fashion. There will be pressure for concessions, some land lost, but a way for both sides to save face and rebuild. Korean soldiers being used a cannon fodder are clearly not the answer for the Russians, not is tolerating the horrible attrition for the Ukraines. Strength, and the ability to project strength, are what enables national goals to be met and protected. What is China doing these days? Building a stronger and stronger navy.