How Long Until Trump’s First War?

The Trump administration’s unpredictable foreign policy could force the United States into an unintended conflict.

On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."
On this episode of The E.R., Max Boot joins us to discuss his new book "The Road Not Taken."

On this week’s episode of The E.R., David Rothkopf, Kori Schake, Rosa Brooks, and Ben Pauker brainstorm various scenarios where the Trump administration could be engaged in an armed conflict. At the top of the list is a conflict with Iran as a result of the mounting tensions between Tehran, the Trump administration, Israel, and America’s other regional allies. With an actor as irrational as the commander-in-chief, could unintended consequences spark a war with the Islamic Republic?

On this week’s episode of The E.R., David Rothkopf, Kori Schake, Rosa Brooks, and Ben Pauker brainstorm various scenarios where the Trump administration could be engaged in an armed conflict. At the top of the list is a conflict with Iran as a result of the mounting tensions between Tehran, the Trump administration, Israel, and America’s other regional allies. With an actor as irrational as the commander-in-chief, could unintended consequences spark a war with the Islamic Republic?

Almost one month into the Trump presidency, the only thing consistent about the administration has been its inconsistency. So where else in the world could a crisis arise? The South China Sea? North Korea? Israel? Belarus or Latvia? These are merely predictions and scenarios, but — as we now all know — anything can happen.

Rosa Brooks is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and teaches international law, national security, and constitutional law at Georgetown University. She is the author of the newly released book “How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything.” Follow her on Twitter: @brooks_rosa.

Kori Schake is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, where she focuses on military history, and is a former foreign-policy advisor to Sen. John McCain. Follow her on Twitter: @KoriSchake.

Ben Pauker is the executive editor of ForeignPolicy.com. Follow him on Twitter: @benpauker.

David Rothkopf is the CEO and editor of the FP Group. Follow him on Twitter: @djrothkopf.

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