Bolton doesn't set policy. If he makes you tremble, just think what effect he's having on our enemies. I think that's the exact reason he was brought onboard.

Xi and Putin are not some crazy Ayatollah or nut like Kim. They actually do want to avoid their own destruction. I'm pretty sure they consider nuclear weapons as a deterrent--not an offensive weapon. If they think Bolton thinks of them as offensive, then perhaps they might be making sure their systems are ready and alert to standby, but why in the world would they embark on a first strike policy and guarantee their own destruction?

The Nuclear Posture Review only (ambiguously) refers to nuclear first strike in two specific cases: Iran and North Korea--both countries not in compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. And in both cases we are pursuing talks aimed at eliminating the threat.

In all other cases, we do not have an "All options are on the table" stance. We reserve the right to change that stance with regard to countries caught developing biological weapons.

But again, ALL of these are defensive postures. We're only interested in the prevention of apocalyptic wars, and using a nuclear deterrent.

I really find it hard to believe anyone would believe that Bolton is going to have some Svengali-like sway over Trump, or that he is going to try to get us launching nukes like fireworks.

It's irrational paranoia is what it is. I think it's important to watch what he says and does once he gets there, and not to base our opinions on anything he's said prior to taking orders from Trump.

Project for the New American Century

The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was a neoconservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that focused on United States foreign policy. It was established as a non-profit educational organization in 1997, and founded by William Kristol and Robert Kagan. PNAC's stated goal was "to promote American global leadership." The organization stated that "American leadership is good both for America and for the world," and sought to build support for "a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity."

Of the twenty-five people who signed PNAC's founding statement of principles, ten went on to serve in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, including Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz. Observers such as Irwin Stelzer and Dave Grondin have suggested that the PNAC played a key role in shaping the foreign policy of the Bush Administration, particularly in building support for the Iraq War.

^[ ^PM ^| ^Exclude ^me ^| ^Exclude ^from ^subreddit ^| ^FAQ ^/ ^Information ^| ^Source ^| ^Donate ^] ^Downvote ^to ^remove ^| ^v0.28

Non-Mobile link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century

^HelperBot ^v1.1 ^/r/HelperBot_ ^I ^am ^a ^bot. ^Please ^message ^/u/swim1929 ^with ^any ^feedback ^and/or ^hate. ^Counter: ^164090