Trump is the only president in my lifetime to not start another war/conflict.
Which conflict was started by Obama? As much as I disslike him and some of his policies but I can't remember that Obama started a war or large conflict. We should also not forget that Obama inherited two major conflicts. The war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq which also left the whole midle east in shambles due to the Bush administration. In fact I can still remember how the Republicans constantly held it against Obama that he did not enough(!) in Syriah. Remember that one? ISIS is Obamas fault! Some people here really have very small long term memory it seems.
When it comes to Trump. It's a bit difficult.
What Trump did was throwing land mines around. For example the decision to which left the Kurds in the dust which allowed Turkey to start their military campaign in Syriah - creating more refugees in the process and guess where they end up. This will lead to issues in the future because when it comes to foreign policy the Kurds have been very long allies to the United States in the middle east.
Second Trump almost started single handedly a war with Iran. It was Iran which backed down. Not the US. Hate Soleimani or like him. But assasinating him was the most extreme option and would be comparable to Iran killing a high ranking US official. They could have retaliated in a fashion which would have left the United States no other option but to attack as well.
It's frightening how the Iranian regime was the actually ... more level headed one here. Even Irak is seeing the United States very differently know. A government that's actually backed up by the US troops.
Or Trumps Twitter feud with Kim Jong Un. How was that any kind of peace process? Besides North Korea still has nucelar weapons. Is still as dangerous as it ever was. And is likely expanding their programm. The Korean Border is still one of the most militarised zones in the world. Go figure.
The many western Allies Trump directly or indirectly alienated. Good luck with future plans on foreign policy and finding the assistance here. And no the United States can not always go without the support of their allies. Even Republicans understand that much when they said, hold on wait a min. Trump wants to pull out troops from Germany? Holy shit!
Outside of that Drone Attacks also happend under Trump. It was even expanded.
Trump Escalates Killer Drone War and No One Seems to Care | The American Conservative
One could almost get the feeling that America being in a constant conflict has almost nothing to do with what kind of President is currently runing ... But it surely is a great tool to discredit a new one.
The United States has seen so many smaller and bigger conflicts over the last 50 years that it's really hard not to find someone who has been a part of it. Democrats or Republicans.
See that was a bad thing, because he was buddy buddy with the guy.
I had some small hopes here that it could actually change something. But it turns out, yes it is. Rubbing shoulders with some of the worst Dictators while giving long standing allies the could one is well a bad thing. I am not saying he shouldn't have tried. But it became pretty obvious very quickly that North Korea was just playing with him. But since Trump is not the type to actually "learn" from his mistakes he counted it like a victory. And here we are. North Korea still a nuclear power while the US allies in the South Pacific now have to ask them self, can we still count on the United States as a partner? I do not know how that's going to make the United States more safe.
If he really wanted a war with Iran, there'd be a war with Iran.
And no one wanted a nuclear war in the 1960s and yet you had the Cuban crisis. Sometimes it's not so much about what people want but about what happens. Certain events can lead to unforseen consequences which then force all the involved parties to act. It's like the falling domino pieces which always leda to a bigger one droping. It's easier to start wars then to prevent them. It is what they often feared about the Cold War. Mc Namara speaks about it in his documentary "The Fog Of War" - pretty great to watch it!
*Edit
There he (Namara) for example mentions how many people in the US high command believed, the Soviets would never go to nuclear war over Cuba and thus they could savely go in, full military support and take everything over before the Soviets could even act. But the reality was which was revealed only years later, there have already been missiles stationed in Cuba when Le May and others pressured Kenedy for an invasion on Cuba. And the officials in Cuba which had the oversight over the nuclear missiles, Soviet officers, had the order to lunch them in case of a US military attack. And now imagine how that would have played out if the US decided to invade Cuba.
Like I said. No one really wants war. But it is very easy to missjudge the intentions and capabilities of your opponent. Errors in missjudgement can lead to very severe consquences. And Trump is not the kind of person that understands this kind of subtleties.
What Trump did with the assasination could have easily lead to a war with Iran even if that was not his intention.
