PROTECT ALLIES

“In human terms, power is the ability not to create chaos or destruction, but to restore order. Power is the ability to restore order. The most powerful person, the most powerful force, is the one that restores conditions to order. And you see that in your life... the nation that restores order is the nation in charge.”

“So, for example, in the question of ground troops, the president didn't mention them last night, but they are apparently on the way. So American troops are on the way to the Persian Gulf, including portions of the Nevada National Guard, for some reason. So either that's a statement of intent, the administration does plan to put boots on the ground, or it's an option they want to keep open.”

“Iran is powerful because of its geography, and that's true for all countries. Geography is the single most important fact of a country. Where are you on the globe, and what does that mean? And in Iran's case, its power is inherent. Because it is on the other side, the northern side of the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Think about what it takes to close the strait. Not much. In fact, almost nothing. Mines, the threat of mines, boats with explosives on them, drones, it's extremely easy to prevent commerce. It's very difficult to assure it. It's asymmetrical. And so it's impossible to imagine how an outside power could keep the strait open without the consent, not just of the Iranian government, which you could destroy conceivably, you could just nuke it, but without the consent of the people who live in Iran.”

“And that was the day that the rest of the world realized that the United States was unable to restore order. And this was a shock particularly for the six Gulf states, who along with Iran and Iraq are the energy producing states around the Persian Gulf. Those six states, our closest allies in the region, our most important allies in the world, had lived for many years with the assumption that if there was ever a problem, the United States could fix it. And they found out in very short order that that was untrue.”