Thread by @Peoples_Pundit

1. Of course it's possible for U.S. to lose a war vs. Russia & China. We could lose vs. China, alone. Here's why...

First, their latent power is massive & division in our internal politics is crippling our ability to wage and sustain Great Power War.

Latent power is ...

2. Latent power is determined by a nation-state’s wealth and the size of its overall population. As the great INR theorist John Mearsheimer explained it:

"After all, for every neck, there are two hands to choke it."

Great Powers -- such as U.S., Russia and China -- have...

3. Great Powers -- such as U.S., Russia and China -- are still handicapped by the limited effectiveness of strategic air and naval power. Bombings and blockades, which are hindered by "the stopping power of water," can't compete w/ primacy of land power in Great Power conflict.

4. Just FYI, reason I lean heavy on JM here is obvious if you follow the offensive vs. defensive realism battle. Ken Waltz's "Theory of International Politics" and "Man, the State, and War" were brilliant. But Mearsheimer was right about "why" GPs pursue power & when it's enough.

5. Post-2016, Democrats i.e. @RepAdamSchiff & @RepSwalwell have talked big. But neither they nor their base have the stomach and resolve to win the Great Power Conflict they seem hell-bent on sending our children to fight.

KSM was right about that... obviously.

If God-forbid @RepAdamSchiff, @RepSwalwell ever got the Great Power Conflict they're pushing your kids to fight, their own groups would be the first to oppose necessary action U.S. would need to take to achieve victory. They don't have the stomach for the fight they are picking.

The moral of the story, which @Mighty_Humanzee clearly got, is two-fold:

1. Do not pick a fight you're not willing to win, at all costs.

2. Do not pick a fight you're not willing to fight, yourself.

Easy for pols to push war when someone else's unfortunate son will fight it.