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subradios | 3 years ago

And yet, MacArthur has been proven historically prescient.

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throwanem|3 years ago

You're gonna need to expand on that one. As is, it sounds like you're saying Cold War domino theory is a live concern in 2023, but that would be just too absurd a position to imagine anyone seriously taking.

In any case, what cost MacArthur his job was putting too many toes over the bright line of civilian control of the military. I don't think Minihan's being as brazen about trying to influence policy as MacArthur was, but I suspect he may be being brazen enough, both from someone having leaked this memo in the first place, and from this:

> A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that Minihan’s comments “are not representative of the department’s view on China.”

If you don't know how to read these things, let me help you: this is DoD/military bureaucracy speak for "he fucked up."

legutierr|3 years ago

Or this could have been leaked purposefully to send a signal to China that the US prepared for war if it acts against Taiwan—even if the official position is more diplomatic.