War & peace decisions
All 16 modern US presidents ranked by their net score on this single sub-criterion. Good and harm are scored 0–10 independently; net is good minus harm. Click a name for the full scorecard.
Pre-Pearl Harbor: Lend-Lease (1941), Atlantic Charter, undeclared naval war in Atlantic. Post-Pearl Harbor: total mobilization, Europe-first strategy. Yalta concessions to Stalin remain contested.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Lend-Lease and the Atlantic Charter committed the US to anti-fascist coalition months before formal entry; both shaped the postwar order.
congress.gov ↗
Korean War armistice (July 1953). Refused to intervene at Dien Bien Phu (1954). Restraint at Suez (1956). U-2 incident handling (1960) poor. Lebanon intervention 1958 limited.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Eisenhower ended the Korean War and declined to commit US forces to save the French in Indochina, choosing restraint where his advisors and Vice President urged escalation.
Korean War armistice, July 27, 1953; declassified NSC discussions on Dien Bien Phu intervention (1954)
Gulf War (1991) extraordinarily successful coalition operation. Panama invasion (December 1989) to capture Noriega. Restrained at end of Soviet collapse.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Operation Desert Storm liberated Kuwait via 35-nation coalition with UN authorization; major US foreign-policy success with limited civilian impact and clear objectives.
un.org ↗
No major war initiated. Grenada invasion (October 1983) small-scale. Libya bombing (April 1986). Lebanon Marine deployment (1982-84) ended after Beirut barracks bombing. Cold War endgame negotiated successfully.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
INF Treaty was the first agreement to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons; framework for the Cold War's peaceful end despite intense early-term confrontation.
reaganlibrary.gov ↗
No new wars. Restraint at multiple junctures. Failed Desert One (April 1980) helicopter rescue. Carter Doctrine (1980) committed to Persian Gulf defense.
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Carter maintained foreign-policy restraint despite multiple crises; Desert One rescue mission failed but no escalation to war.
jimmycarterlibrary.gov ↗
Cuban Missile Crisis resolved without nuclear war. Bay of Pigs catastrophic failure. Vietnam advisor escalation set conditions for LBJ-era war.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Kennedy resolved the most dangerous nuclear-confrontation crisis of the Cold War (October 1962) but increased Vietnam advisor presence ~22-fold during his term.
jfklibrary.org ↗
Bosnia intervention (Dayton 1995) ended war. Kosovo air war (1999) without UN authorization. Somalia withdrawal after Mogadishu. Rwanda non-intervention catastrophic.
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Clinton successfully intervened in Bosnia (Dayton) and Kosovo; failed to intervene in Rwanda Genocide (800,000 deaths) — later called his 'greatest regret.'
history.state.gov ↗
Saigon evacuation (April 1975) ended Vietnam War. Mayaguez incident (May 1975) — 41 US deaths to free 39 hostages. No new major wars.
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Ford executed Saigon evacuation ending US Vietnam involvement; Mayaguez rescue operation lost more Americans (41) than hostages saved (39).
history.state.gov ↗
Ended Iraq combat operations (December 2011). Afghanistan surge then drawdown. Libya intervention (2011) destabilizing. Syria 'red line' (2013) not enforced. Drone program dramatically expanded.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Obama ended formal US combat in Iraq (2011) and reduced Afghanistan forces; Libya intervention contributed to subsequent state collapse; drone program expanded substantially with civilian casualty concerns.
history.state.gov ↗
No new major wars initiated. Soleimani killing (January 2020) — near-war with Iran. Syria withdrawal (chaotic). Afghanistan Doha Agreement with Taliban (February 2020). Drone program continued.
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Trump did not initiate new major wars but killed Soleimani provoking Iran retaliation; Doha Agreement with Taliban set framework for subsequent Afghanistan withdrawal.
history.state.gov ↗
Decision to use atomic bombs (Hiroshima Aug 6, Nagasaki Aug 9, 1945). Truman Doctrine (1947). Korean War decision (1950) — preserved South Korea. Refused MacArthur's expansion to China; fired MacArthur (1951).
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Truman authorized atomic bomb use against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending WWII; subsequently committed US forces to Korea without congressional declaration, establishing a precedent for undeclared executive war.
trumanlibrary.gov ↗
Ukraine aid paused/conditioned (early 2025). Pressed Ukraine on territorial concessions to Russia. Threatened military action against Mexico for cartels. Possible Iran action. Greenland/Panama Canal annexation rhetoric.
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- harm·Tier 1·Historical record·Unverified
Trump-Zelensky Oval Office February 28, 2025 produced public diplomatic rupture; US Ukraine aid suspended briefly; pressure for Ukraine-Russia territorial settlement.
Trump-Zelensky Oval Office meeting February 28, 2025; Ukraine aid suspension
Vietnamization (1969 onward). Paris Peace Accords (January 1973) ended US ground combat. BUT: Cambodia secret bombing campaign (1969-1973), Christmas bombing of North Vietnam (December 1972), invasion of Cambodia (1970).
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Nixon ended US combat involvement in Vietnam via Paris Accords while simultaneously expanding war to Cambodia and Laos in secret bombing campaigns concealed from Congress.
Paris Peace Accords (January 27, 1973); Operation Menu (Cambodia bombing) declassified records 1969-1970
Afghanistan withdrawal August 2021 (chaotic, 13 US service members killed in Kabul attack August 26). Did not commit US forces to Ukraine. Israel-Hamas war (2023+) substantial US military assistance to Israel.
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- harm·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Afghanistan withdrawal ended 20-year war but chaotic execution included Abbey Gate attack killing 13 US service members and ~170 Afghan civilians; Taliban returned to power immediately.
history.state.gov ↗
Afghanistan War (October 2001) — justified response to 9/11. Iraq War (March 2003) — invasion based on flawed WMD intelligence; ~4,500 US military deaths, ~200K+ Iraqi deaths. Defining foreign-policy failure of 21st century.
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Iraq invasion was undertaken on premise of WMD that did not exist; war produced ~4,500 US military deaths, ~200,000+ Iraqi deaths, regional destabilization, and rise of ISIS.
congress.gov ↗
Vietnam War escalation from ~16,000 advisors (Nov 1963) to ~537,000 troops (1968). Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) obtained under misleading representations. Defining war-decision failure of 20th century US foreign policy.
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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was obtained based on incomplete and partially fabricated reports of attacks on US destroyers; led to escalation from 16,000 to 537,000 US troops in Vietnam.
archives.gov ↗