The Limits of War

Abstract

In the wake of President Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the threat of war still hovers in the background, albeit to a far lesser extent than it did a mere few weeks ago. Trump described the meeting as having gone “better than anybody could’ve expected,” but as recently as a few weeks ago he was reminding Kim that the U.S. military is “ready if necessary.” Nor is Korea the only site of conflict. After the United States withdrew from the Iran deal last month, national security adviser John Bolton — a new presence in the administration’s burgeoning “war cabinet” — warned that “Iran is bringing us closer to war with its belligerent activity in Iraq and Syria.”