Jimmy Carter: US has only enjoyed 16 years of peace in its 242-year history

“Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody?” Carter asked. “None. And we have stayed at war.” The U.S., he noted, has only enjoyed 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making the country “the most warlike nation in the history of the world,” Carter said. This is, he said, because of America’s tendency to force other nations to “adopt our American principles.”

List of wars involving the United States

18th-century wars

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
American Revolutionary War
(1775–1783)Location: Eastern North AmericaSouthern North AmericaGibraltarIndiaCaribbean Sea, and the Atlantic

The Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776

 United States
Kingdom of France France

Spain Spanish Empire

 Iroquois

Watauga Association
Catawba
 Lenape
 Choctaw


 Dutch Republic


 Mysore

 Great Britain
 Loyalists
Holy Roman Empire German Auxiliaries
 Iroquois

 Cherokee

US-allied victory
Cherokee–American wars
(1776–1795)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Old Southwest

Abduction of Daniel Boone’s daughter by the Cherokee

 United States
 Choctaw
 Cherokee US-allied victory
Northwest Indian War
(1785–1793)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Northwest Territory

 United States
 Chickasaw
 Choctaw
Western Confederacy

List

Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain

US-allied victory
Quasi-War
(1798–1800)Location: Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean
 United StatesCo-belligerent:
 Great Britain
France France Convention of 1800
  • Peaceful cessation of Franco-American alliance
  • End of French privateer attacks on American shipping
  • American neutrality and renunciation of claims by France

19th-century wars[edit]

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
First Barbary War
(1801–1805)Part of the Barbary Wars

Location: Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tripoli

Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon at Derna, April 1805

 United States[2]
 Sweden[2]
 Sicily[2]
 Malta[2]
 Portugal[2]
 Morocco[2]
border=no Tripolitania[3]
Morocco Morocco[3]
US-allied victory
Tecumseh’s War
(1811)Part of the American Indian Wars and the War of 1812

Location: Northwest River Ohio

 United States Tecumseh’s Confederacy

List
US victory
War of 1812
(1812–1815)Location: Eastern and Central North America

General Andrew Jackson stands on the parapet of his makeshift defenses as his troops repulse attacking Highlanders, by painter Edward Percy Moran in 1910.

 United States
 Choctaw Nation
 Cherokee Nation
Creek Allies
 United Kingdom

Tecumseh’s Confederacy

List

Spain Spain (1814)

Inconclusive/Other Result
Creek War
(1813–1814)Part of the American Indian Wars and the War of 1812

Location: Southern United States

 United States
Lower Creeks
 Cherokee Nation
 Choctaw Nation
Red Stick Creek US-allied victory
Second Barbary War
(1815)Part of the Barbary Wars

Location: Mediterranean Sea and the Barbary States

Decatur’s squadron off Algiers

 United States Flag of Ottoman Algiers.svg Deylik of Algiers US victory
First Seminole War
(1817–1818)Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars

Location: PensacolaSpanish Florida

Barracks and tents at Fort Brooke near Tampa Bay

 United States Seminole

Spain Spanish Florida

US victory
Arikara War
(1823)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Missouri River

An Arikara warrior

 United StatesSioux Arikara Inconclusive/Other Result
  • White Peace treaty agreed by US Col Leavenworth[4]
Winnebago War
(1827)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Illinois and Michigan Territory

 United States
 Choctaw Nation
Prairie La Crosse Ho-Chunks
with a few allies
US-allied victory
  • Ho-Chunks cede lead mining region to the United States
Black Hawk War
(1832)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Illinois and Michigan Territory

Native women and children fleeing the Battle of Bad Axe

 United States
Ho-Chunk
Menominee
 Dakota
Potawatomi
Black Hawk’s British Band
Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi allies
US-allied victory
Texas Revolution
(1835–1836)Location: Texas

Fall of the Alamo

 Republic of Texas

 United States

  • Out of the Texan soldiers serving from January through March 1836, 78% had arrived from the United States after October 2, 1835.[Note 1][5]

 Mexican Republic Texan victory
  • The Republic of Texas gains its independence.
  • Texas is annexed into the United States in 1845.
Second Seminole War
(1835–1842)Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars

Location: FloridaUnited States

U.S. Marines search for Seminoles in the Everglades

 United States Seminole US victory
Mexican–American War
(1846–1848)Location: TexasNew MexicoCalifornia and Mexico

2nd Dragoons charge the enemy at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, 1846

 United States
 California Republic
 Mexico US-allied victory
Cayuse War
(1847–1855)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Oregon

The Whitman Massacre.

 United States Cayuse US victory
  • Cayuse reduced in numbers and forced to cede most of their lands
Apache Wars
(1851–1900)Part of the Texas–Indian wars and the American Indian Wars

Location: Southwestern United States

U.S. Cavalry dash for cover while fighting Apaches, by F. Remington

 United States Apache
Ute
Yavapai
US victory
Bleeding Kansas
(1854–1861)Location: Kansas and Missouri
Anti-slavery settlers
(Free-Staters)
Pro-slavery settlers (Border Ruffians) Free-Stater victory.
  • Kansas admitted as a free state on January 29, 1861.
Puget Sound War
(1855–1856)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Washington

 United States
Snoqualmie
Nisqually
Muckleshoot
Puyallup
Klickitat
Haida
Tlingit
US victory
Rogue River Wars
(1855–1856)Location: Rogue Valley
 United States Rogue River people US victory
  • Indians relocated to Siletz, Grand Ronde and Coast Reservations
Third Seminole War
(1855–1858)Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars

Location: PensacolaFlorida

 United States Seminole US victory
  • By late 1850s, most Seminoles forced to leave their land; a few hundred remain deep in the Everglades on land unwanted by white settlers
Yakima War
(1855–1858)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Washington Territory

Seattleites evacuate to the town blockhouse as USS Decatur opens fire on advancing tribal forces.

 United States
Snoqualmie
Yakama
Walla Walla tribe
Umatilla tribe
Nez Perce tribe
Cayuse tribe
US victory
Second Opium War
(1856–1859)Part of the Opium Wars

Location: China

Palikao’s bridge, on the evening of the battle, by Émile Bayard

United Kingdom British Empire
France French Empire
 United States
 China US victory
Utah War
(1857–1858)Part of the Mormon wars

Location: Utah Territory and Wyoming

 United States Deseret/Utah Mormons (Nauvoo Legion) Inconclusive/Other Result
  • Resolution through negotiation
  • Brigham Young replaced as governor of the territory
  • Full amnesty for charges of sedition and treason issued to the citizens of Utah Territory by President James Buchanan on the condition that they accept American Federal authority
Navajo Wars
(1858–1866)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: New Mexico

 United States Navajo Nation US victory
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
(1859)Part of pre-Civil War conflicts

Location: West Virginia

Harper’s Weekly illustration of U.S. Marines attacking John Brown’s “Fort” Teresa Baine

 United States Abolitionist Insurgents US victory
First and Second Cortina War
(1859–1861)Location: Texas and Mexico
United States United States

Confederate States of America Confederate States


 Mexico

Mexico Cortinista bandits US-allied victory
Paiute War
(1860)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Pyramid LakeNevada

 United States Paiute
Shoshone
Bannock
US victory
American Civil War
(1861–1865)Location: Southern United StatesIndian TerritoryNortheastern United StatesWestern United StatesAtlantic Ocean

The Battle of Antietam, by Kurz & Allison.

 United States  Confederate States
 Cherokee Nation
 Choctaw Nation
 Chickasaw Nation
 Muskogee Nation
 Seminole Nation
 Comanche Nation
US victory
Yavapai Wars
(1861–1875)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Arizona

 United States Yavapai
Apache
Yuma
Mohave
US victory
Dakota War of 1862
(1862)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Minnesota and Dakota

The Siege of New Ulm, Minnesota on August 19, 1862

 United States  Dakota Sioux US victory
Colorado War
(1863–1865)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: ColoradoWyoming, and Nebraska

 United States  Cheyenne
 Arapaho
 Sioux
Inconclusive/Other Result
Snake War
(1864–1868)Part of the American Indian Wars

Locations: OregonNevadaCalifornia, and Idaho

 United States Paiute
Bannock
Shoshone
US victory
Powder River War
(1865)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Powder River State

 United States  Sioux
 Cheyenne
 Arapaho
Inconclusive
Red Cloud’s War
(1866–1868)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Powder River State

The Fetterman Massacre

 United States
 Crow Nation
 Lakota
 Cheyenne
 Arapaho
Lakota-allied victory
Comanche Campaign
(1867–1875)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Western United States

Battle of Beecher Island. One soldier and three horses have fallen, while others continue to wage the battle.

 United States  Cheyenne
 Arapaho
 Comanche
Kiowa
US victory
Modoc War
(1872–1873)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: California and Oregon

Engraving of soldiers recovering the bodies of the slain May 3, 1873.

 United States  Modoc US victory
Red River War
(1874–1875)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Texas

 United States  Cheyenne
 Arapaho
 Comanche
Kiowa
US victory
  • End to the Texas-Indian Wars
Las Cuevas War
(1875)Location: Texas and Mexico

Texan soldiers.

 United States Mexican bandits US victory
  • Cattle returned to Texas
Great Sioux War of 1876
(1876–1877)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: MontanaDakota and Wyoming

Custer’s last stand at Little Bighorn.

 United States  Lakota
 Dakota Sioux
 Northern Cheyenne
 Arapaho
US victory
  • Legal control of Powder River Country ceded to the United States
Buffalo Hunters’ War
(1876–1877)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Texas and Oklahoma

 United States  Comanche
Apache
US victory
Nez Perce War
(1877)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: OregonIdahoWyoming, and Montana

Chief Joseph’s band in the Battle of Bear Paw Mountain

 United States Nez Perce
Palouse
US victory
Bannock War
(1878)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: IdahoOregon, and Wyoming

 United States Bannock
Shoshone
Paiute
US victory
Cheyenne War
(1878–1879)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: OklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth Dakota and Montana

Aftermath of the Battle of “The Pit.”

 United States  Cheyenne US victory
Sheepeater Indian War
(1879)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Idaho

 United States Shoshone US victory
Victorio’s War
(1879–1881)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Mexico

 United States
 Mexico
Apache US-allied victory
White River War
(1879–1880)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Colorado

 United States Ute US victory
Pine Ridge Campaign
(1890–1891)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: South Dakota

Mass grave for the dead Lakota after the conflict at Wounded Knee Creek.

 United States  Sioux US victory
Garza Revolution
(1891–1893)Location: Texas and Mexico

3rd Cavalry Troopers searching a suspected Revolutionist, 1892

 Mexico
 United States
Garzistas US-allied victory
Yaqui Wars
(1896–1918)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Arizona and Mexico

10th Cavalry soldiers holding Yaqui prisoners at their camp in Bear Valley, January 9, 1918.

 United States
 Mexico
Flag of the Yaqui tribe.png Yaqui
Pima
Opata
US-allied victory
Second Samoan Civil War
(1898–1899)Location: Samoa

Samoan warriors and American servicemen during the Siege of Apia in March 1899.

Samoa
 United States
Mataafans
 Germany
Inconclusive/Other Result
Spanish–American War
(1898)Location: CubaPuerto RicoPhilippines and Guam

Teddy Roosevelt and the “Rough Riders” charge Spanish positions during the Battle of San Juan Hill.

 United States
 Cuban Revolutionaries
 Filipino Revolutionaries
Spain Spain US-allied victory
Philippine–American War
(1899–1902)Location: Philippines

Kurz & Allison print of the Battle of Quingua.

1899–1902
 United States

1902-1906
 United States

1899–1902
 Philippine Republic

Limited Foreign Support:
 Empire of Japan


1902-1906
Flag of the Katagalugan Republic.svg Tagalog Republic

US victory
Moro Rebellion
(1899–1913)Location: Philippines

The 8th Infantry Regiment defeat the Moros in the four-day battle of Bagsak Mountain on Jolo Island in the Philippines.

 United States  Moro
 Remnants of the Sulu Sultanate
US victory
Boxer Rebellion
(1899–1901)Location: China

Corporal Titus, of the 14th Infantry Regiment, scaling the walls of Peking.

British Empire United Kingdom
 Russia
 Japan
France France
 United States
 Germany
 Italy
 Austria-Hungary
 Righteous Harmony Society (Boxers)
 China
US-allied victory
  • Signing of the Boxer Protocol
  • Provisions for foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing

20th-century wars[edit]

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
Crazy Snake Rebellion
(1909)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Oklahoma

Creek prisoners of war.

 United States Creek US victory
Border War
(1910–1919)Part of the Mexican Revolution

Location: Mexico–United States border

American troops of the 16th Infantry Regiment rest for the night on May 27, 1916

 United States  Mexico
 Germany
US victory
Negro Rebellion
(1912)Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Cuba

USS Mississippi in Cuba

Cuba Cuba
 United States
Cuba Cuban PIC US-allied victory
  • Dissolution of the PIC
Occupation of Nicaragua
(1912–1933)Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Nicaragua

US Marines holding a captured Sandinista flag.

 United States
 Nicaragua
Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaraguan Liberals
Flag of Nicaragua.svg Sandinistas
US-allied victory
  • Nicaragua occupied until 1933
Bluff War
(1914–1915)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Utah and Colorado

Prisoners of the Bluff War in Thompson, Utah, waiting to board a train for their trial in Salt Lake City.

 United States Ute
Paiute
US victory
Occupation of Veracruz
(1914)Part of the Mexican Revolution

Location: Mexico

American ships at Veracruz

 United States  Mexico US victory
Occupation of Haiti
(1915–1934)Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Haiti

2nd Marine Regiment in Haiti

 United States
 Haiti
Haiti Haitian Rebels US-allied victory
Occupation of the Dominican Republic
(1916–1924)Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Dominican Republic

US Marines in the Occupation of the Dominican Republic.

 United States  Dominican Republic US victory
World War I
(1917–1918)Location: EuropeAfricaAsiaMiddle East, the Pacific Islands, and coast of North and South America

Two US troops pass by dead German soldiers on a battlefield.

 France
 British Empire

 Russia
 United States
Republic of China (1912–1949) China
 Italy
 Japan
 Serbia
 Montenegro
 Romania
 Belgium
 Greece
 Portugal
 Brazil

 Germany
 Austria-Hungary
 Ottoman Empire
 Bulgaria
US-allied victory
Russian Civil War
(1918–1920)Location: RussiaMongolia, and Iran

US troops march through Russia before the Battle of Romanovka.

Russia White Movement
 British Empire

 United States
France France
 Japan
 Czechoslovakia
 Greece
 Poland
 Romania
 Serbia
 Italy
Republic of China (1912–1949) China

 Russian SFSR
 Far Eastern Republic
 Latvian SSR
 Ukrainian SSR
 Commune of Estonia
 Mongolian Communists
Bolshevik victory
  • Allied withdrawal from Russia
  • Bolshevik victory over White Army
Last Indian Uprising
(1923)Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Utah

Ute and Paiute prisoners of war.

 United States Ute
Paiute
US victory
World War II
(1941–1945)Location: EuropePacific OceanAtlantic OceanSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaMiddle EastMediterraneanNorth AfricaOceaniaNorth and South America

U.S. Army Soldiers advancing at dawn in the cover of a M4 Sherman tank, during the Battle of Bougainville, 1944.

 Soviet Union
 United States
 United Kingdom
 China
 France
 Poland
 Canada
 Australia
 New Zealand
 India
 South Africa
 Yugoslavia
 Greece
 Denmark
 Norway
 Netherlands
 Belgium
 Luxembourg
 Czechoslovakia
 Brazil
 Mexico
 Chile
 Peru
 Ethiopia
 Mongolia
 Philippines
North Vietnam Viet Minh
Korea KLA
 Germany
 Japan
 Italy
 Hungary
 Romania
 Bulgaria
 Slovakia
 Croatia
 Albania
 Finland
 Thailand
 Manchukuo
 Mengjiang
US-allied victory
Operation Beleaguer
(1945-1949)Location: Hopeh and Shantung ProvincesChina

Marines in Tsingtao during Operation Beleaguer.

 United States China Communist Party of China US Victory
  • Occupation of Hopeh and Shantung provinces
  • Japanese and Koreans repatriated
  • American and other foreign nationals evacuated
Korean War
(1950–1953)Part of the Cold War

Location: Korea

American soldiers in the Korean War with the Browning M1919A6 LMG.

 South Korea
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Australia
 Belgium
 Canada
 France
 Philippines
 Colombia
 Ethiopia
 Greece
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands
 New Zealand
 Spain
 South Africa
 Thailand
 Turkey
 North Korea
 China
 Soviet Union
Inconclusive/Other Result
  • Korean Armistice Agreement
  • North Korean invasion of South Korea repelled
  • Subsequent United Nations invasion of North Korea repelled
  • Subsequent Chinese-North Korean invasion of South Korea repelled
Lebanon Crisis
(1958)Location: Lebanon

US Marine sits in a foxhole and points his machine gun toward Beirut.

 Lebanon
 United States
Lebanon Lebanese Opposition: US-allied victory
Vietnam War
(1955–1964[a], 1965–1973[b], 1974–1975[c])Part of the Cold War and Indochina Wars

Location: VietnamCambodia, and Laos

1st Cavalry Division, Battle of Ia Drang, 1965.

 South Vietnam
 United States
 South Korea
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Thailand
 Philippines
 Laos
Cambodia Khmer Republic
 North Vietnam
 Viet Cong
Laos Pathet Lao
 Khmer Rouge
 China
 Soviet Union
 North Korea
North Vietnamese-allied victory
Korean DMZ Conflict
(1966–1969)Part of the Korean conflict and the Cold War

Location: Korean Demilitarized Zone

ROK and US troop stationed at the DMZ, 1967.

 South Korea
 United States
 North Korea US-allied victory
  • North Korean failure to launch an insurgency in South Korea
Dominican Civil War
(1965–1966)Location: Dominican Republic

US soldiers push a child underneath a Jeep to protect him during a firefight in Santo Domingo on May 5, 1965.

 Dominican Loyalists
 United States
 IAPF
 Dominican Constitutionalists US-allied victory
Multinational Intervention in Lebanon
(1982–1984)Location: Lebanon

US Marines on patrol in Beirut, April 1983

 Lebanese Armed Forces

 UNIFIL
Multinational Force in Lebanon:


 Israel
 Lebanese Front
 Army of Free Lebanon
SLA

 Lebanese National Movement
 Jammoul
 PLO

 Amal Movement


 Iran

 Hezbollah
Islamic Jihad Organization


 Islamic Unification Movement


 Syria


 Arab Deterrent Force

Syrian-Allied Victory
Invasion of Grenada
(1983)Part of the Cold War

Location: Grenada

American soldiers in mortar positions in Grenada.

 United States
 Barbados
 Jamaica
 Antigua and Barbuda
 Dominica
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Saint Lucia
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Grenada PRG of Grenada
 Cuba
Military advisors:

List
US-allied victory
  • Military dictatorship of Hudson Austin deposed
  • Defeat of Cuban military presence
  • Restoration of constitutional government
Invasion of Panama
(1989–1990)Location: Panama

U.S. troops prepare to take a neighborhood in Panama City, December 1989.

 United States
 Panamanian Opposition
 Panama US-allied victory
Gulf War
(1990–1991)Location: IraqKuwaitSaudi Arabia, and Israel

M1 Abrams tanks of the 3rd Armored Division advance on Medina Ridge.

 Kuwait
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Saudi Arabia
 France
 Canada
 Egypt
 Syria
 Qatar
 Bahrain
 United Arab Emirates
 Oman
 Iraq US-allied victory
Iraqi No-Fly Zone Enforcement Operations
(1991–2003)Location: Iraq

Tomahawk cruise missile is fired from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer during Operation Desert Fox in December 1998.

 United States
 United Kingdom
 France
 Australia
 Belgium
 Netherlands
 Saudi Arabia
 Turkey
 Italy
 Iraq US-allied victory
  • Periodic depletion of Iraqi air defenses
First U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War
(1992–1995)Part of the Somali civil war (1991–present)

Location: Somalia

US Marines on patrol in Somalia.

 United States
 United Kingdom
 Spain
 Saudi Arabia
 Malaysia
 Pakistan
 Italy
 India
 Greece
 Germany
 France
 Canada
 Botswana
 Belgium
 Australia
 New Zealand
Somalia Somali National Alliance Inconclusive/Other Result
  • Failure to capture SNA leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid; specific Aidid lieutenants captured
  • Withdrawal of U.S. forces 5 months after losses in the Battle of Mogadishu
  • The UN mandate saved close to 100,000 lives, before and after U.S. withdrawal
  • Civil war is ongoing
Bosnian War
(1992–1995)Part of the Yugoslav Wars

Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Russian and American troops on a joint patrol around the Bosnian town of Zvornik on the afternoon of February 29, 1996.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia Herzeg-Bosnia
 Croatia


 United States
 Belgium
 Canada
 Denmark
 France
 Germany
 Italy
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Portugal
 Spain
 Turkey
 United Kingdom

 Republika Srpska
 Serbian Krajina
 Western Bosnia
US-allied victory
Intervention in Haiti
(1994–1995)Location: Haiti

US troops arrive in Haiti.

 United States
 Poland
 Argentina
 Haiti US-allied victory
Kosovo War
(1998–1999)Part of the Yugoslav Wars

Location: Serbia

Bombing of Novi Sad.

 KLA
Albania AFRK
 Albania
 Croatia
 United States
 Belgium
 Canada
 Czech Republic
 Denmark
 France
 Germany
 Hungary
 Italy
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Portugal
 Poland
 Spain
 Turkey
 United Kingdom
 FR Yugoslavia US-allied victory[10][11][12][13]
  • Ceasefire reached through Kumanovo Agreement of June 1999. after Russian and Finnish envoys visit Belgrade
  • Yugoslav forces pull out of Kosovo
  • UN Resolution 1244 confirming Kosovo as de jure part of FRY
  • De facto separation of Kosovo from FR Yugoslavia under UN administration
  • Return of Albanian refugees after attempted ethnic cleansing of Albanians
  • KLA veterans join the UÇPMB, starting the Preševo insurgency
  • Around 200,000 Serbs, Romani, and other non-Albanians fleeing Kosovo and many of the remaining civilians becoming victims of abuse
  • Three Chinese journalists were killed in United States bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade
  1. ^ Advisory role from the forming of the MAAG in Vietnam to the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
  2. ^ Direct U.S. involvement ended in 1973 with the Paris Peace Accords. The Paris Peace Accords of January 1973 saw all U.S forces withdrawn; the Case–Church Amendment, passed by the U.S Congress on 15 August 1973, officially ended direct U.S military involvement .
  3. ^ The war reignited on December 13, 1974 with offensive operations by North Vietnam, leading to victory over South Vietnam in under two months.

21st-century wars[edit]

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
War in Afghanistan
(2001–present)Part of the War on Terror and the War in Afghanistan (1978–present)

Location: Afghanistan

American and British soldiers take a tactical pause during a combat patrol in the Sangin District area of Helmand Province.

 Resolute Support Mission
 Afghanistan
 United States
 Canada
 United Kingdom
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Croatia
 Czech Republic
 Denmark
 Georgia
 Germany
 Italy
 Romania
 Spain
 Turkey

Formerly:
 ISAF

Afghanistan Taliban

Allied groups
 HIG
 al-Qaeda
 Islamic Jihad Union[14]


Taliban splinter groups


Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant IS-Affiliates:


2001 Invasion:
Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Ongoing
Iraq War
(2003–2011)Part of the War on Terror

Location: Iraq

Soldiers from 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment conduct security before a cordon and search operation in Biaj, Iraq with their M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank.

 United States
 Iraq
 United Kingdom
 Australia
 South Korea
 Denmark
 Italy
 Georgia
 Poland
 Spain
 Netherlands
 Ukraine
 Romania
 MNF–I
 Ba’ath Loyalists

 Islamic State of Iraq
 al-Qaeda in Iraq
 Mahdi Army
 Special Groups
 IAI
 Ansar al-Sunnah


2003 Invasion:
Iraq Iraq

Inconclusive/other result[15]
Second U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War
(2007–2021)Part of the Somali Civil War (1991–present) and the War on Terror

Location: Somalia and Northeastern Kenya

MQ-9 Reaper commonly used in covert drone strikes in Somalia.

 Somalia
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Kenya
 Ethiopia
 AMISOM
 United Nations

 European Union[26]

 Al-Shabaab
Hizbul Islam

 Daesh
Alleged support:
 Eritrea

Inconclusive/Other Result
Operation Ocean Shield
(2009–2016)Part of the War on Terror

Location: Indian Ocean

A tall plume of black smoke rises from a destroyed pirate vessel that was struck by USS Farragut in March 2010.

 NATO
 United States
 Malaysia
 Norway
 United Kingdom
 New Zealand
 Denmark
 Netherlands
 Italy
 South Korea
 India
 Russia
 China
Somali pirates US-allied victory
  • Number of pirate attacks dramatically decreased
  • The US Office of Naval Intelligence have officially reported that in 2013, only 9 incidents of piracy were reported and that none of them were successfully hijacked[citation needed]
  • Piracy drops 90%[27]
International intervention in Libya
(2011)Part of the Libyan Crisis and the First Libyan Civil War

Location: Libya

US vessels launch missiles in support of the First Libyan Civil War.

 NATO
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Belgium
 Bulgaria
 Canada
 Denmark
 France
 Greece
 Italy
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Romania
 Spain
 Turkey
 Sweden
 Jordan
 Qatar
 United Arab Emirates

 Anti-Gaddafi rebels

 Libya US-allied victory
Operation Observant Compass
(2011–2017)Part of the War on Terror

Location: Uganda

U.S. Marine Sgt. Joseph Bergeron, a task force combat engineer, explains combat marksmanship tactics to a group of Ugandan soldiers.

 United States
 Uganda
 DR Congo
 Central African Republic
 South Sudan
 Lord’s Resistance Army Ongoing
  • Founder and leader of the LRA Joseph Kony goes into hiding
  • Senior LRA commander Dominic Ongwen surrenders to American forces in the Central African Republic and is tried at the Hague[7][8]
  • Majority of LRA installations and encampments located in South Sudan and Uganda abandoned and dismantled
  • Small scale LRA activity continues in eastern DR Congo, and the Central African Republic
American-led intervention in Iraq
(2014–present)Part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Iraqi Civil War, the Spillover of the Syrian Civil War, the War on Terror and the International ISIS campaign

Location: Iraq

General Stephen J. Townsend observes a HIMARS strike that destroyed a building near Haditha, September 2016

 United States
 Iraq
 Iraqi Kurdistan
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Belgium
 Canada
 Denmark
 France
 Germany
 Jordan
 Morocco
 Netherlands
 United Kingdom
 Turkey

 Iran
 Hezbollah

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Ongoing
  • Tens of thousands of ISIL fighters killed
  • American-led forces launch over 13,300 airstrikes on ISIL positions in Iraq
  • Heavy damage dealt to ISIL forces, ISIL loses 40% of its territory in Iraq by January 2016, and all of its territory in Iraq in December 2017
  • Multinational humanitarian and arming of ground forces efforts
  • 200 ISIL created mass graves found containing up to 12,000 people[29]
  • Ongoing US-led Coalition advising and training of Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces
  • US maintains limited military presence in Iraq
American-led intervention in Syria
(2014–present)Part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Syrian Civil War, the War on Terror and the International ISIS campaign

Location: Syria

United States United States

 Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria


 CJTF-OIR Members:
 United Kingdom
 France
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Canada
 Jordan
 Denmark
 Netherlands
 Belgium
 Lebanon
 Morocco
 Saudi Arabia
 United Arab Emirates
 Qatar
 Bahrain


 Turkey


 Israel (limited involvement; against Hezbollah and government forces only)


Formerly:
Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army (2011–2017)


Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Islamic State of Iraq and Syria


 al-Qaeda linked groups:

 Syria (limited encounters with US and Israel)
Supported by:
 Russia
 Iran
 Hezbollah
Syria-allied victory
American intervention in Libya
(2015–2020)Part of the Second Libyan Civil War, the War on Terror, and the International ISIS Campaign

Location: Libya

USS Wasp conducts flight operations in Operation Odyssey Lightning.

 United States
 Libya
 Islamic State in Libya US-allied Victory
  • Liberation of Sirte
  • Hundreds of airstrikes carried out in Libya against Islamic State affiliated militant groups

See also[edit]

Christian Evangelicals and Trump | William R. Black & John Fea

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talking about the rabid Pro Trumper you
48:34
know the
48:35
you know the poll of whites of the world
48:38
Paula white I think firmly believes that
48:40
he’s a Christian and and God is using
48:42
him as a Christian to carry out you know
48:46
the purposes of the gospel or the church
48:49
in the world there’s others for example
48:51
someone like Robert Jeffress from the
48:55
pastor of the First Baptist Church in
48:56
Dallas or even Franklin Graham the son
49:00
of the evangelist Billy Clayton
49:02
evangelist Billy Graham who would say
49:04
sure Trump has his problem sure Trump is
49:06
a sinner I don’t know if Trump has
49:08
accepted Jesus as his Savior or not but
49:12
God like Cyrus God uses imperfect people
49:17
to carry out his plan so so they would
49:22
say it really does you know they would
49:23
say really doesn’t matter whether
49:25
Trump’s a Christian or not he is faith
49:28
friendly and God is using him in this
49:31
kind of incredible way God uses sinners
49:34
and God uses you know people who you
49:39
know have these corrupt lives or immoral
49:41
eyes to carry out his purposes God’s
49:43
ways are not our ways would be the
49:45
arguing and while we well we would think
49:48
that it should be a godly Christian
49:50
leader to help us sometimes God has
49:52
other plans would be the idea here so so
49:55
you get you got a kind of mixed mixed
49:58
views on that depending on which pro
50:00
Trump evangelical you talk to but you
50:04
know and I minded I grew up hearing a
50:06
lot of people who were evangelicals
50:08
saying something those basically the
50:10
reverse about Jimmy Carter were there
50:13
where they would completely grant that
Jimmy Carter was was a you know and
devout then but even even argue that he
was a bad president because he was a
good Christian to be a good president
because he was done you know kick ass
and take names I guess I don’t know
50:31
you’ve encountered during Carter Carter
50:34
is interesting because evangelicals did
50:36
flock to him in 1976 you know he might
50:40
stop supporting that just ants they
50:42
voted for Carter in 76 and 80
50:45
I mean an aphid errol’s Ford
50:49
seventy-six claimed to be some kind of
50:51
an evangelical Christian too so that’s
50:52
very interesting but the Carter was so
50:54
kind of authentic right he he he talked
50:57
about being born again
50:59
even his even his uh even his statement
51:02
about like being tempted to lust from
51:04
you know from women you know was was it
51:09
appealed to certain evangelicals right
51:11
you know that this guy’s honest truly he
51:13
meant they knew at length nobody and I
51:16
think I think what happened was when
51:19
Carter several things I mean one just
51:22
you know you can’t count out the economy
51:24
you know the recession and so forth also
51:27
Carter just did not deliver on the
51:29
things that evangelicals hoped he would
51:32
we talked earlier about the green calmly
to Bob Jones case Jimmy Carter supported
to Bob the supreme court on that he
wanted to desegregate these academies
and this this you know there was
opposition that emerged almost
immediately to Carter when it didn’t
look like he would deliver on abortion
overturn roe v– wade you know try to
try to try to keep the keep the
segregation in place in these academies
so uh you know this is where Falwell and
others so many of you know the story
many our listeners will own story this
is where Falwell and others kind of say
no we thought this guy was was one you
know was going to help our moral cause
and he doesn’t seem to be doing it so uh
so yeah Carter’s a car is a fascinating
character I think it’s probably you know
it’s probably true to say the fact that
he tried to actually live out a kind of
authentic evangelicalism probably did uh
you know hurt his his presidency I mean
he has that famous 1979 malaise speech
in wrench you know he says we are a
52:36
nation that is self-centered selfish we
52:40
only care about each other we don’t
52:41
think about the common good you know and
52:43
then Reagan comes in and just says you
52:45
know do whatever you want right
52:47
individualism freedom right you know
52:50
freedom of religion they love these
52:52
kinds of things no I felt this message
52:55
of self-discipline that Carter puts
52:57
forth which you know is this
52:59
authentically Christian message but you
53:01
know that’s I think
53:02
says a lot about the evangelical
53:04
electorate as well I have one more
53:07
question that you will wrap up but I I
53:12
know you know there’s been debates in
53:15
the Democratic Party about you know
53:17
what’s the right calculus to to defeat
53:21
Trump in 2020 and you know one sidebar
53:27
in that debate is how much should they
53:30
try and win over people who voted for
53:33
Trump yeah yeah and a part of that is
53:38
you know it is it worth trying to talk
53:41
to some evangelicals to vote for Trump
53:43
and to appeal to them you know appeal to
53:49
their values there professor
53:52
what do you think about that yeah yeah I
53:55
mean I wrote a whole book about this so
53:57
I hope yours I hope there’s a
53:59
possibility but I see I see those
54:01
eighty-one percent as as very you know
54:03
there’s there’s diversity within that 81
54:05
percent one of the things I worry about
54:07
with this with the media is that they
54:09
don’t see the diversity of 81 percent
54:12
that 81 percent includes the rabid Trump
54:16
supporters who are evangelicals the
54:18
people who go to the rallies the people
54:20
who supported this guy in the primaries
54:22
when there were other options
54:24
the GOP primaries the people who wear
54:26
the manga hats you know I mean there’s a
54:29
lot of Evangelicals you know I remember
54:30
I remember when Trump came to Harrisburg
54:33
Pennsylvania I’m watching the news
54:36
coverage on it at night you know local
54:37
news coverage and you know I see like
54:40
four or five people from my church in
54:42
line my evangelical church in line right
54:45
so there’s that group what I found after
doing close to 20 or 30 book talks and
and I’m on the road a lot with this book
is that many of those people are just
not going to be convinced by kind of
rational arguments you know politics is
often so much emotional and and and it’s
just gonna be hard to convince those
people however there’s a large large
55:10
number and I don’t know what the
55:11
percentage is but but I also find
55:13
there’s a large number who just don’t
55:14
like Donald Trump they wish
55:16
they didn’t have to vote for him they
55:18
hated Hillary Clinton even more they
55:22
were they they kind of walked the line
55:24
between not voting for the president and
55:26
voting for Trump right or voting for a
55:30
third party candidate and voting for
55:33
Trump and they decided that they were
55:34
going to vote for Trump it’s those kind
55:36
of people that I hope my book is going
55:38
to reach you know and get them to sort
55:42
of rethink you know especially in light
55:44
of everything that’s happened since
55:46
Trump’s been elected all of the kind of
55:49
misogyny and racist Arbenz a comet if
55:53
charlottesville he has an awful
55:54
immigration policy and so forth on the
55:57
other hand you can’t count out the
56:00
economy right the economy is doing
56:02
really really well a lot of youth
56:03
angelica’s may not vote on moral issues
56:06
they may vote on economic issues in 2020
56:08
but when you think about it this way
56:10
right you don’t need too many
56:11
evangelicals to have their minds changed
56:14
for for for a Democrat to win in 2020 I
56:19
mean Hillary won by three million votes
56:22
the popular vote so so you know in
56:26
places like Pennsylvania which you know
56:29
where we saw in the 2018 midterms we saw
56:33
mostly Democratic candidates being
56:35
elected governor senator the the conquer
56:40
Congress seats almost all many of them
56:42
flipped to Democrat you know place like
56:46
Michigan and Wisconsin you don’t need
56:48
too many votes to turn those states back
56:50
towards a Democratic candidate so I’m
56:52
not you know I’m kind of you know a lot
56:56
of people are saying well if the
56:57
economy’s good Trump’s gonna win again
56:59
I’m not entirely convinced about that at
57:02
least if you can turn some evangelicals
57:04
you know you might you might have a
57:06
chance to knock him off in 2020 well
57:09
here’s here’s a question then if if the
57:14
Democrats have a nominee who is more
57:17
likable than Hillary Clinton yeah do you
57:20
think at least there’ll be sizeable you
57:23
know statistically significant number
57:26
vocals who will at
57:28
perhaps not vote for the Democrat but
57:30
feel like they don’t have to vote for
57:32
Khurana
57:32
yeah Hillary Clinton is a problem with
57:35
the problem for white conservative
57:36
evangelicals for two reasons one is one
57:40
is one as she represents everything
57:42
about sort of what white evangelicals
57:45
see as progressivism right pretty
57:47
pro-choice not doing much to defend
57:50
Christian values religious liberty
57:52
particularly marriage you know she’s big
57:56
government and so forth any Democratic
57:58
candidate that runs is going to have
58:00
those same problems with white
58:01
evangelicals unless it’s like a pro-life
58:05
democrat right that’s like Bob Casey
58:07
from Pennsylvania runs who completely
58:10
who evangelicals backed over Rick
58:12
Santorum right and then drove Rick
58:14
Santorum out this is my home state so I
58:16
know these races pretty well the other
58:20
problem the other problem white
58:21
evangelicals had with Hillary Clinton
58:22
was that she was Hillary Clinton you
58:24
know the baggage going back to the bill
58:27
scandals with Monica Lewinsky going back
58:30
to the lying the you know she’s saying
58:33
right-wing conspiracy and blah blah blah
58:36
the deplorable slide you know nobody
58:39
Clinton made a lot of mistakes among
58:41
white evangelicals I don’t think I don’t
58:43
think if she corrected those mistakes
58:45
she would have won over many white
58:46
evangelicals to her side but she may
58:48
have turned some white evangelicals away
58:51
from Donald Trump towards a third party
58:53
candidate or towards just not voting in
58:56
the presidential election so you know
58:59
we’ll see what happens you could have a
59:01
Democrat who and if it’s a traditional
59:05
Democrat on the moral questions that
59:07
Emma Jellico’s hold dear in 2020 I just
59:11
I think I think they’re still gonna
59:14
they’re not gonna vote for that Democrat
59:16
but because it’s not Hillary Clinton
59:18
they may say well we could put up with
59:19
this guy or this one as opposed to you
59:23
know their four years of Trump I heard
59:26
something you said this but someone
59:29
compared Hillary Clinton’s sort of
59:33
relationship as a cultural icon to the
59:37
women’s rights movement to Jesse
59:39
Jackson’s relationship to the civil
59:41
and the argument was that in the same
59:47
way that Jesse Jackson couldn’t become
59:50
president because of just all the
59:53
baggage that comes with being part of
59:54
that generation yeah someone from the
59:59
second generation like Obama didn’t have
60:01
that package
60:02
yeah next woman right is the argument
60:07
that I’ve heard from women’s rights
60:11
movement but not be associated with all
60:14
the baggage came with having to fight
60:16
that fight yeah no no six or seven yeah
60:19
yeah no it’s there’s probably some truth
60:21
to that we’ll see you know I don’t know
60:24
how many women candidates are out there
60:25
you hear about come out Kamala Harris
60:28
Kristin Gillibrand I mean you know we’ll
60:32
see what happens I’m not sure well I I
60:37
forgot to mention the start but I will
60:39
plug you are you run a great blog that’s
60:43
also the title of your first book and
60:46
the title of your podcast which is right
60:48
the way of improvement leads home which
60:53
what’s the URL is it way of improvement
60:56
way of improvement calm way of
60:59
improvement calm or no that’s instead
61:06
Zealand yes I encourage people check out
61:17
your blog your podcast and you tweet at
61:22
John fear one john thea one yep jo hn f
61:28
EI one yeah and i tweet at william are
61:35
black and in your book believe me the
61:39
evangelical road to Donald Trump would
61:42
be a good stocking stuffer when you have
61:47
those conversations at Christmas right I
61:49
did a promo for the book on I tweeted I
61:52
said you just got done with these
61:53
conversations over Thanks
61:55
giving with your pro-trump evangelical
61:57
friends and you wish you had some more
61:58
arguments for when Christmas or the
62:00
December holidays come around right get
62:03
this book you have a month to read it in
62:05
preparation for Christmas dinner or
62:07
whatever it might be well thanks for
62:12
coming on I love to have you on again
62:14
sometime and great thanks for having me
62:17
bill thank you

It’s Now Donald Trump’s America. But George Bush’s Stamp Endures.

Arguably, that moment proved a precursor to this one as conservatives angry at his apostasy, led by a onetime backbench congressman from Georgia named Newt Gingrich, rose to power within the Republican Party and toppled the old establishment. The harder-edged Gingrich revolution in some ways foreshadowed Mr. Trump’s extraordinary takeover of the party.

Mr. Meacham said the current world of cable talk and relentless partisanship took shape during Mr. Bush’s era. “He saw it all coming, and he didn’t like it,” he said.

Mark K. Updegrove, the author of “The Last Republicans,” about the two Bush presidencies, said, “In so many ways, Bush was the antithesis of the Republican leadership we see today.” He embodied, Mr. Updegrove added, “the

  • humility,
  • civility and
  • self-sacrifice

of the best of the World War II generation. He played tough but fair, making friends on both sides of the aisle and rejecting the notion of politics as a zero-sum game.”

.. For all of the condolences and tributes pouring in to the Bush home in Houston from every corner of the world on Saturday, Mr. Trump’s very presidency stands as a rebuke to Mr. Bush. Never a proponent of “kinder and gentler” politics, Mr. Trump prefers a brawl, even with his own party. The “new world order” of free-trade, alliance-building internationalism that Mr. Bush championed has been replaced by Mr. Trump’s “America First” defiance of globalism.

.. Mr. Trump has demonstrated that he sees the go-along-to-get-along style that defined Mr. Bush’s presidency as inadequate to advance the nation in a hostile world. Gentility and dignity, hallmarks of Mr. Bush, are signs of weakness to Mr. Trump. In his view, Mr. Bush’s version of leadership left the United States exploited by allies and adversaries, whether on economics or security.

.. Mr. Bush was, in effect, president of the presidents’ club, the father of one other commander in chief and the father figure to another, Bill Clinton. Jimmy Carter always appreciated that Mr. Bush’s administration treated him better than Ronald Reagan’s or Mr. Clinton’s, while Barack Obama expressed admiration for the elder Mr. Bush when he ran for the White House.

.. Mr. Obama was among the last people to see Mr. Bush alive.

.. “What the hell was that, by the way, thousand points of light?” Mr. Trump asked scornfully at a campaign rally in Great Falls, Mont., in July. “What did that mean? Does anyone know? I know one thing: Make America great again, we understand. Putting America first, we understand. Thousand points of light, I never quite got that one.”

.. “It’s so easy to be presidential,” Mr. Trump said at a campaign rally in Wheeling, W.Va. “But instead of having 10,000 people outside trying to get into this packed arena, we’d have about 200 people standing right there. O.K.? It’s so easy to be presidential. All I have to do is ‘Thank you very much for being here, ladies and gentlemen. It’s great to see you off — you’re great Americans. Thousand points of light.’ Which nobody has really figured out.”

.. In 1988, when Mr. Bush was seeking the presidency, Mr. Trump offered himself as a running mate. Mr. Bush never took the idea seriously, deeming it “strange and unbelievable,”

.. “I don’t know much about him, but I know he’s a blowhard. And I’m not too excited about him being a leader.” Rather than being motivated by public service, Mr. Bush said, Mr. Trump seemed to be driven by “a certain ego.”

People don’t vote for what they want. They vote for who they are.

You remember the photo, taken in early August, of two men at an Ohio Trump rally whose matching T-shirts read, “I’d rather be a Russian than a Democrat.” (Now you can buy them online for $14.) It was a gibe that spoke to our moment. The Republican brand — as with presidential nominees John McCain and Mitt Romney — used to be pointedly anti-Russian; Romney called Moscow our chief global enemy. In the Trump era, though, you can be a Republican Russophile for whom Vladi­mir Putin is a defender of conservative values. American politics, it has become plain, is driven less by ideological commitments than by partisan identities — less by what we think than by what we are. Identity precedes ideology.

“The Democratic Party today is divided over whether it wants to focus on the economy or identity,”

.. So does the assumption that the great majority of Republicans who support Trump are drawn to his noxious views. (That’s the good news in the bad news.) Among candidates who led in the Republican primaries, after all, his percentage of the vote was the lowest in nearly half a century.

.. Identity groups come to rally behind their leaders, and partisan identification wouldn’t be so stable if it didn’t allow for a great deal of ideological flexibility. That’s why rank-and-file Republicans could go from “We need to stand up to Putin!” to “Why wouldn’t we want to get along with Putin?” in the time it takes to say: Rubio’s out, Trump’s in.

.. The best predictor of ideological animus, the study found, wasn’t a respondent’s opinions or even how strongly she held them, but what label she embraced, conservative or liberal.

.. Mason calls this “identity-based ideology,” as opposed to “issue-based ideology.”

.. Either formulation is a polite way of saying that political cleavages are not so much “I disagree with your views” as “I hate your stupid face.” You can be an ideologue without ideology.

.. “Implicit bias,” and the special tests designed to measure it, come up often in the wake of police shootings and #BlackLivesMatter. They show in-group preferences among whites and among blacks. But experiments suggest that partisan in-group preferences are far more powerful.

.. between 30 and 60 percent of people who identify as Democrats or Republicans want their kids to marry in the party.

.. Long before anyone instructs children to group people into categories, research tells us, they’re programmed to do it anyway, and one of our basic ways of making sense of the world is to form generalizations of the sort linguists call “generics” — such as “bears eat people” or “tick bites give you Lyme disease.” Those generalizations count as true, but it’s not easy to say why. Hardly any bears have eaten people , and less than 2 percent of tick bites transmit the Lyme spirochete. But, as the philosopher Sarah-Jane Leslie has argued, we’re more likely to accept a generic if it involves a reason for concern, such as getting eaten or getting sick.

.. generics encourage us to think of the class in question as a kind, a group with a shared essence. To show how this works, Leslie joined with psychologists Marjorie Rhodes and Christina Tworek to design an experiment in which 4-year-olds were shown pictures of a fictional kind of person they called a Zarpie. The people in the pictures were male and female, black, white, Latino, Asian, young and old. With one group of 4-year-olds, the experimenters made lots of generic remarks. (“Zarpies are scared of ladybugs” and the like.) With another group, they made specific statements, not generic ones. (“Look at this Zarpie! He’s afraid of ladybugs!”) A couple of days later, they showed the kids a Zarpie and said he made a buzzing sound. It turned out that the children who’d heard a lot of generics about Zarpies were much more likely to believe that all Zarpies made buzzing sounds. Generic talk encouraged them to think of Zarpies as a category of person.

.. Generic remarks about people, in short, encourage you to think of them as a kind, and you’re more likely to accept a generic claim about a group if it’s negative or worrying. (Liberals hate America; conservatives are bigots.)

.. As everyone knows on some level, we’re tribal creatures. We not only belong to groups but are easily triggered to take arms against other groups. Evolutionary psychologists think these dispositions helped our ancestors survive by creating groups they could rely on to deal with the perils of prehistoric life ..

.. True, that was before cable news and social media. But those us-and-them instincts remain an indelible part of human nature.

.. if tribalism is responsible for some of the worst aspects of our politics, it’s also responsible for some of the best. According to the historian David Herbert Donald, the 19th-century abolitionists belonged to a tribe — essentially, an old-line Northern elite displaced by a new commercial and manufacturing class — that sought to regain its position through ethical crusades. The moral math was correct, but social identity was what helped it spread.

.. Almost the entire South went in 1976 for Jimmy Carter, who won by wide margins in notably white stateslike Arkansas and Tennessee. Voters who had supported states-rights candidates got behind the progressive from Plains, Ga., because — well, they were Southern Democrats, and so was Carter

.. the region didn’t become reliably Republican until the late 1990s. A generation of Southern Democrats had to die first.

.. To wish away identity politics is to wish away gravity. It burdens us, but it also grounds us. A workable politics enlists its force — and broadens its scope