In a lengthy interview with Joe Rogan, JD Vance sets out a position that diverges somewhat from what we are otherwise accustomed to hearing from the White House. Vance says the war is not in America’s interest. What is the solution? Is it simply to bomb, bomb, bomb? Vance asks, recalling the wave of refugees that left the Middle East in the wake of the Syrian civil war.
“There are people in the American system who are extremely hawkish, and who have attacked the agreement and, frankly, have in some ways tried to undermine it. And what I always say to those people is: ‘What is your proposal? What exactly is your argument?’” he said while speaking with Rogan about the recent attempts to negotiate an end to the military conflict with Iran and prevent it from escalating into a wider war.
He cited the Strait of Hormuz as a key example of how dangerous the situation is, noting that Iran could cut off 25 per cent of the world’s energy supply using inexpensive drones that are notoriously difficult to intercept.
Vance argued that some opponents within the Republican Party and their allies, who do not want negotiations, ultimately want to “just bomb them into oblivion” or somehow bring about regime change in Iran.
“But look, what is our experience of doing that?” Vance replied.
“It isn’t good,” Rogan said.
“It isn’t good,” Vance agreed.
Vance argued that launching a ground invasion with 150,000 troops “effectively means that the American military is doing the job of the Iranian people. We don’t do that any more. We simply don’t.”
The other outcome Vance warned against is “the Libya outcome”, when the United States overthrew the dictator Muammar Gaddafi, after which “Libya effectively became a failed state. A refugee crisis emerged. People poured into Europe, into other parts of Asia and other parts of Africa. There was a great deal of violence. A great deal of terrorism came out of it.”
Vance is staking out a position that does not fully coincide with Trump’s. It is possible that Trump is allowing him to develop his own position because it could become an option to fall back on if matters reach a deadlock. So far, however, there is no sign of that. Trump is sending additional forces to the Middle East.