There has been some talk about the contradictions inherent in the Trumplican view on interventionism. Some people think that Trump contradicts himself every time he speaks on it. On the one hand he says that we should let Russia help fight against ISIS and that we should be more non-interventionist in other conflicts. On the other hand he says that we should kill the families of ISIS , be more indiscriminate in bombing, and loosen up the rules of engagement. Going so far as to say the Geneva Convention may be hindering us in the fight against ISIS.

In this article I would like to show that everything I just mentioned in the paragraph above is all part of one philosophy.

THE TRUMPLICAN STANCE

The Trumplican stance is that the natural state of things should be peace. It may be strange to some people given that there will be an entire generation who grew up when the country is in a state of war but there it is. Peace should be the norm and we must do everything we can to resist moving away from it. If we should move away from peace then everything must be done to return to peace as fast as we possibly can.

Let us look at it in a more practical manner. In the Trumplican view the first weapon is always economic. That is how we can make sure we stay in peace and bring the other nations to the bargaining table. Whether it is with China, Mexico, or simply talking to North Korea we use trade to come to mutually agreeable terms with them in which the US is not disadvantaged.

If there is a breakdown in that area and war is declared such as in ISIS, everything must be done to get back to peace as fast as possible. I think we can all agree that non-interventionism in the case of ISIS is no longer an option. Therefore we use every method available to beat them as fast as possible. If that involves letting Russian troops fight alongside American ones or in their own conflict zone then so be it.If that involves killing the families of ISIS members to break their will or making sure that they can no longer use human shields by loosening the rules of engagement then that is fine too. America gets into trouble when she stays in a prolonged conflict to bring democracy to an area. In war the Trumplican view is to get in, accomplish the objective, and get out as fast as we possibly can.

THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

I have shown today how the Trumplican philosophy of interventionism is consistent with itself. You may agree or disagree with it but it is consistent. The most important question is how does it translate to policy during a Trump presidency?

A President Trump will be harder to bring to war than any other candidate, however once a war is there a President Trump will pursue it more viciously than any other candidate to end the conflict as fast as he possibly can.

Overall I believe this is a better approach as getting the war over and done with as fast as possible reduces casualties overall and let’s both sides resume their lives as fast as possible. Getting stuck in a quagmire for decades because you are unwilling to do what needs to be done is just unproductive.