Donald Trump’s choice of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election has generated excitement among Republicans and condemnation from Democrats alike.
In American politics today, polar opposites exist.collideTrump and Joe BidenworstThis is the first time in our nation’s history that a president has done so, and as a result, legitimate and necessary debate has been stifled.
Vance must reinforce Trump’s positions on ending unlimited aid to Ukraine, closing the border, deporting illegal immigrants, putting tariffs on imports, cutting taxes and giving Israel a blank check on Gaza, while simultaneously insisting on strengthening America’s massive defense and industrial base.
inChange of directionThe mainstream andMAGA supporters‘ I thought.IranVance has urged caution in how the US deals with Muslim leaders, citing China as a major threat.“concentration,”This suggests that US policy will become tougher.
In a rational, apolitical world, many of Vance’s positions would beDeservesSerious discussion.
Vance said his opposition to so-called endless wars began during his time in the Marines.ExpandHe deployed to Iraq in 2005. But Vance’s wartimeexperienceHe was confined to the relatively safe responsibilities of combat correspondent, reporter and later public relations officer.
But in the pastWe’re screwedThe decisions to go to war in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq clearly demonstrate that debate is essential when using force.
TrumppromiseHe would immediately end the two current wars, though he has not said how. Vladimir Putin has reportedlyConcessionsKeeping Ukraine a permanent puppet under Moscow’s control would make it impossible to conclude a viable and fair peace agreement; andsupport“As much as we need” Ukraine is not a strategy.
aboutIsrael,Vance is willing to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel Defense Forces to take control of Gaza and drive out Hamas, resulting in tens of thousands of Palestinians being killed in the process.
Unfortunately, in these cases, as in others,SevereThe debate on U.S. policy has begun, but on certain issues supporters and opponents are hurling political accusations at each other and refusing to engage in rational discussion.
Like Trump, VanceCallA new military buildup, but neither President Trump nor the Republicans have been able to show how increased defense spending will translate into a stronger defense.
Despite a slight increase in the defense budget, the size of the U.S. military remainsShrinkAnd if the Ukrainian war ends, there will be no need to send replacement weapons to Ukraine, so why do we need a larger and stronger defense industrial base when it no longer makes sense?
Focusing on ChinaPace Threat“This is a position supported by the vast majority of Mr. Vance’s colleagues in both houses of Congress.”
but,IranVance advocates for addressing a system that has been established by a succession of Democratic and Republican administrations.brandThe report concludes that the United States should prepare to launch a preemptive attack on Iran, the world’s largest “state sponsor of terror,” and eliminate that possibility.
As someoneBelievedHe said that the Vietnam War had been lost by 1967, and opposed the second Iraq War because Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction.2006Having written a book with a former top NATO commander titled “NATO is Losing in Afghanistan,” Vance’s position deserves a civil and comprehensive debate.
But America, and many Americans, are not interested in informed, civil debate.
Following the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania,Rhetoric TemperatureThe slogan “We are the best!” remained. However, both parties resumed full-scale offensives to attack the other. Harsh slogans and political slogans also returned.
As a candidate, Vance will need to sort out contradictions in foreign policy proposals about when to use force and when not, and understand that different options exist for Gaza, Ukraine, Iran and China.
Vance is clearly intelligent, having topped his classes at Ohio State and been an editor at the Yale Law Review, but his ego is questionable, as is his soft political backbone, which has led to a widening of his views on Trump.HitlerIt’s surprisingly easy to become a hero.
But if elected in 2027, Vance could look to 2028 to run for president, putting his interests at odds with those of Trump, who needs a legacy for Vance as he searches for a leadership replacement and may not be able to help him.
Both Trump and Vance, if elected, require a two-word warning: Mike Pence. Vance’s term could follow Pence’s trajectory. What happens after?
Harlan UllmanHe is a senior advisor to the Atlantic Council and lead author of “Shock and Awe” Military Doctrine. His twelfth book, “The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How a Massive Disruption Attack Became a Looming Existential Crisis for a Divided Nation and the Entire World,” is available on Amazon.
