A Proportional Response

1999-2024 | 25 years

In this episode, President Bartlet must determine his response to the Syrian military shooting down a plane carrying Captain Morris Tolliver, whom the President knew personally, along with 57 others. In the episode, the President struggles with the idea of a “proportional response”.

This past Sunday, an American base in Jordan was struck by a drone, leading to the death of three troops and wounding at least 34 more. It has been reported that the militia which carried out the attack was Iranian-backed. The attack has caused many politicians, activists, and members of the press to conjecture as to what the response of the President should be.

The United States needs to have a response of some kind to the attack, as the country needs to show that others can not kill American troops without consequence. However, there is a large range of possible responses President Biden could choose to take in response to the attack. This is where the idea of a “proportional response” comes in. Generally, we want to have a response that deters further attacks, but is not so strong that it causes backlash from the international community or prompts more conflict in the area.

In the case of the response to the attack on Sunday, people are discussing the possibilities of airstrikes, missile strikes, and raids. People are also discussing whether these attacks should be targeted solely at the militant groups which carried them out, or if they should also target Iran because they backed the militants.

Many are hesitant about attacking Iran because of a fear that it will cause further conflict in the already tumultuous region. On top of this, the last thing Americans want is to be dragged back into another war with Iran.

President Biden is the one who chooses what response the American military takes. Not only does he have to try to make a decision that will balance keeping us out of war with deterring future attacks, but he also has to worry about the political responses to his actions. If his response is seen as not strong enough, he will be painted as a weak leader who is incapable of protecting the American people in the upcoming election cycle. If his response is too strong, he will be accused of being irresponsible and risking conflict that could put more American soldiers in harm's way.

As seen in the episode, in situations like these, Presidents have to rely on their Joint Chiefs and Chief of Staff to determine a proportional response.