Americans sprang in dread of an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in one of our iconic cities, and given our amorphous border, the terrible possibility of criminal sleeper cells waiting in the country. When Donald J. Trump took office a few short decades ago, it was the jihadists who lacked concern.
Every criminal on Earth was aware that at any time Trump could put their reign of terror to an end, from Qasem Soleimani to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to the overall ISIS empire. Among President Joe Biden’s problems, allowing fear to move from America’s foes to the British people may be the most disheartening of all.
Trump’s first problem as he prepares to take office in a few weeks will be to resurrect the reliable deterrent that predominated in his first term. Only this time, the bets are also higher. We are closer to nuclear conflict now than we have been since the Cuban Missile Crisis, or at least since 1983, when a Soviet early-warning method malfunctioned and fraudulently alerted their Air Defence Forces about an impending U.S. nuclear attack, regardless of whether most Americans realize it or not.  ,
Take a moment to consider the chaos that Biden is causing for Trump if that sounds over the top.
In Eastern Europe, the Russia-Ukraine battle rages on. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons and also approved area exercises to teach his troops to use military nukes against Ukrainian or NATO forces.
The Biden administration has acknowledged that it is only a matter of weeks before Iran can start producing nuclear weapons there. None of the havoc the Iranian government has experienced in recent years, from its numerous intermediaries attacking American warships to the government itself launching hundreds of ballistic missiles toward Israeli cities, compare to what Iran’s supreme president could do with the weapon. And their foreign minister declared just last week that” 2025 will be a significant time for Iran’s nuclear matter.”
Taiwan has been frequently called” the most dangerous place on Earth” in Asia because the Chinese Communist Party wants to occupy the self-governing area — by force, if needed, and the United States has long sought to uphold the status quo. After a number of escalations, the group estimating China’s strategy detonated a nuclear bomb higher above the Earth’s surface to show how far they were ready to go in a public battle simulation.
North Korea, which is close by, is the only country in the 21st century to conduct radioactive tests. Trump was informed by retiring President Barack Obama that the country’s nuclear programme posed the biggest threat to his national security in their final meeting. Eight years later, North Korea’s stash is growing, and its latest missile testing have suggested technological improvements that could boost its ability to strike the U. S. island.
Most people my age haven’t experienced nuclear annihilation while watching one of Hollywood’s well-known doom movies outside of the comfort of a theatre. Before working in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, I had never thoroughly considered it.
It’s a gift that, for the past ten years, most Americans have never had to deal with the fear and uncertainty of war somewhere near our coasts, much less the prospect of nuclear annihilation. On the other hand, many American leaders find arrogance and confidence due to our comfortable existence. Good days create poor men, as they say.
For the past four decades, Joe Biden has been a unsuspecting victim of earth situations, rather than a maker of international politics. That inability has extremely brought us toward a nuclear conflict. Luckily, President Trump is clear-eyed about the margins and has shown amazing instincts for navigating the complex universe of politics. He has a keen understanding of how power is exercised on the global level. And he’s shown the courage, uncertainty, and caution it takes to create trustworthy punishment without needless escalations.
Trump isn’t given the credit he deserves for bringing peace to the region, from the Abraham Accords, from his skillful handling of establishing a speech with North Korea’s mysterious head, from being the only new president to prevent Putin from annexing another nation, and from his apparently most significant achievement: no sending American troops into any fresh conflicts.
Trump the peacemaker is required more now than ever. When he returns to the Oval Office on January 20, America’s enemies are aware of the changing circumstances and once more exemplify the true strength of the people. For the sake of us all, that day can’t come soon enough.
Cliff Sims served as special assistant to President Trump, 2017-2018, and deputy director of national intelligence for strategy and communications, 2020-2021.
