@tonyvanderhoef: President Donald Trump’s recent statement before the U.N. is reminiscent of an old playbook. In 1945, America discovered a weapon more powerful than the atomic bomb. But the real weapon was bigger than the bomb itself. It was the threat... of annihilation. Historians call it atomic diplomacy, and it started with Harry Truman. At Potsdam Conference, Truman casually told Stalin that America had a new weapon of unusual destructive force. On August 6th, the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Truman’s goal was to end the war without a bloody invasion, and at the same time, show Moscow who would shape the postwar world. And Trump’s statement at the U.N. earlier this week is a similar strategy. And every president after Truman has deployed this exact tactic. Eisenhower called it massive retaliation. To break the stalemate in Korea, his administration let it be known that nuclear options were on the table. This paved the way to getting armistice signed. Kennedy also used it. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, a naval blockade and heightened nuclear alert pushed Khrushchev to pull his missiles out of Cuba. But behind the scenes, Kennedy quietly agreed to remove American missiles from Turkey as well. You have yet another example with Henry Kissinger. Under Nixon, he helped put the Madman Theory into action: which was to convince your enemy you might be irrational enough to do the unthinkable. In 1969, they secretly put nuclear-armed bombers on alert to pressure Moscow and Hanoi. But that time It didn't work. Which brings us back to Trump. Since the war began, he's threatened devastating strikes on Iran and pulled back at least eight times. Supporters see the madman strategy… the U.S. constantly applying maximum pressure, while still leaving the door open to negotiate at any moment. But critics see a threat that’s losing its credibility every time it isn't actually carried out. So, history gives us examples of both. So the question is… is this Cuba... or is this Vietnam? — #trump #History #politics #iran #war

tonyvanderhoef

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Sunday 27 September 2026 16:53:20 GMT