Ttyjukl

So, obviously his plan wouldn't have worked in "real life." Most succinctly, it's a clear example of the Broken Window Fallacy. Dozens of arguments exist for why it would be a bad idea, fine, I accept that.

What I haven't seen argued or examined is whether Armstrong's plan was intended by the developers or writers to work. Keeping in mind Metal Gear's universe and its politics act differently from ours. Also keeping in mind that whether Armstrong was actually right has major impacts on Raiden's character development and the stinger at the end of the game.

My question is: is there any word from developers on whether Armstrong was intended to be correct? Specifically, that he could have ended the Patriots' wars if he had become president instead of being cut down by Raiden?

Yeah, it gets really complicated, because MGS is based around realistic fiction. I would have to say it would work in their universe, but a lot of people would have died from the "war on terror" and a lot of orphaned children will be harvested for their brains and turned into emotionless cyborg soldiers.
Raiden didn't like this and decided to kill Armstrong because he knew he wouldn't be able to convince him to stop, plus he hates politicians. It would have worked in their universe because the USA is a war economy, they thrive off of war, which was something the patriots ensured would happen. Armstrong wanted
to completely cut out the patriots influence, so he would use one last war to get elected and as president, end war as a business. His intentions during his presidency however would destroy the government and reduce America to a Mad Max-esque wasteland, where everyone fights for their own reasons on their own, stamping out anyone weak in will and strength as a result.

If he became president, it would have worked...but not in real life. He assumed we would be responsible over our newfound power. He would assume there would not be chaos everywhere. BUT knowing our current generation, there would be complete chaos or no one would know what to do with their power. He wanted basically wants what the left wants but for the right. He wanted to destroy the last parts of the Patriot's hold on our society, just like Raiden. Armstrong, however, would not only destroy the target, but everything around it as well, just like his fighting style. Raiden wished to hit the target and the target only, he wanted to be precise and swift, like lightning. All in all, he was politically correct and his intentions were great, but his methods are
unforgivable. His ideology could also be applied metaphorically and literally. I think he meant both when he says "Might makes right". He essentially wanted people to be strong willed enough to follow their own beliefs and the actual strength to reach their goals. We all know that can't work in real life sadly, because a lot of people here in America would use their strength for ill-will, like giving a child a power fist from Fallout, we would be too irresponsible to have this strength, we would end up destroying everything through constant conflict and psychotic rage. Some might disagree, but tell me, if you were able to do what you want without getting in trouble, what would you do? If he was real, he would hopefully realize our world is simply not ready or mature enough to have true freedom. Another thing you must realize, is that both Raiden and Armstrong were right AND wrong. It wasn't a "hero vs villain" kind of battle, but more of a fight between ideologies. It has to be this way. If you want more detail, search up "Anarcho-Capitalism", it's a real thing.