Benefits from the belief you have the mafioso nature, or otherwise might limitlessly escalate or do something disproportional if provoked.
One person that comes to mind with all three properties—at least going by results—is Trump. I know people disagree with 1. and 2. but you can’t go by superficialities (and the media narrative) here. The U.S. arguably resolved ISIS and NK (mostly thru 3) and made peaceful steps in Afghanistan and Israel thru—what I take is 2. Strengthening Israel and weakening Palestine is against egalitarian narratives but good in the long run if you look at the lives of Muslims in Israel today. Thus the result is 1. No superficially “peaceful” president could do that. For all his awfulness (see 3), he was making average Americans’ lives better, and he is no racist or such—even Scott Alexander has to give him that.
Trump wants things for himself and his clan, but he does know that he has to deliver. I’m not sure Biden is going for that.
I also must point out that Trump presided over Operation Warp Speed, and if it accelerated vaccine development (which seems very likely to me) this easily overrides everything else Trump did in terms of life saved.
One person that comes to mind with all three properties—at least going by results—is Trump. I know people disagree with 1. and 2. but you can’t go by superficialities (and the media narrative) here. The U.S. arguably resolved ISIS and NK (mostly thru 3) and made peaceful steps in Afghanistan and Israel thru—what I take is 2. Strengthening Israel and weakening Palestine is against egalitarian narratives but good in the long run if you look at the lives of Muslims in Israel today. Thus the result is 1. No superficially “peaceful” president could do that. For all his awfulness (see 3), he was making average Americans’ lives better, and he is no racist or such—even Scott Alexander has to give him that.
Trump wants things for himself and his clan, but he does know that he has to deliver. I’m not sure Biden is going for that.
I also must point out that Trump presided over Operation Warp Speed, and if it accelerated vaccine development (which seems very likely to me) this easily overrides everything else Trump did in terms of life saved.