The Truth About Western “Colonialism”

How the misuse of a term legitimizes the jihadist myth of Western guilt.

by Bruce S. Thornton // Defining Ideas

Photo via Front Page Magazine
Photo via Front Page Magazine

Language is the first casualty of wars over foreign policy. To paraphrase Thucydides, during ideological conflict, words have to change their ordinary meaning and to take that which is now given them.

One word that has been central to our foreign policy for over a century is “colonialism.” Rather than describing a historical phenomenon––with all the complexity, mixture of good and evil, and conflicting motives found on every page of history––“colonialism” is now an ideological artifact that functions as a crude epithet. As a result, our foreign policy decisions are deformed by self-loathing and guilt eagerly exploited by our adversaries.

Continue reading “The Truth About Western “Colonialism””

Watching the Middle East Implode

Only when we recognize the fundamental role Islam plays in the region can we begin to craft sensible policies that put U.S. interests first.

by Bruce S. Thornton // Defining Ideas 

The revolutions against dictators in the Middle East dubbed the Arab Spring have degenerated into a complex, bloody mélange of coups and counter-coups, as have happened in Egypt; vicious civil wars, like the current conflict in Syria; a resurgence of jihadists gaining footholds in Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Sinai; and a shifting and fracturing of alliances and enmities of the sort throwing Lebanon and Jordan into turmoil. Meanwhile, American foreign policy has been confused, incompetent, and feckless in insuring that the security and interests of the United States and its allies are protected. Continue reading “Watching the Middle East Implode”

The Orientalism of Barack Obama

by Terry Scambray

New Oxford Review

Of course the documentary movie, 2016: Obama’s America, was timed by the conservative, Dinesh D’Souza, to discredit the president. Nonetheless, there can’t be much doubt that the president’s vision of America is driven by his attitude toward the perceived sins of European colonialism and his fear that America has now assumed that mantle. Continue reading “The Orientalism of Barack Obama”

The Palestinian Playbook

by Bruce Thronton

Frontpage Magazine

The most depressing thing about the Obama administration’s foreign policy debacle unfolding in the Middle East is that for sixty years we’ve repeatedly experienced the same Islamist game plan for defeating us that is being employed today. There is no tactic currently being used by the Muslim Brothers and other jihadist groups that wasn’t perfected by the Palestinian Arabs in their fight to destroy Israel. Continue reading “The Palestinian Playbook”

The Liberal Super Nova

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Two parties, left and right, are central to good consensual government — one the perennial check on the other, both within the general boundaries of constitutional free-market capitalism. Continue reading “The Liberal Super Nova”

Elizabeth Warren and the Frauds of Diversity

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

For anyone familiar with the American university and its gospel of multicultural diversity, the revelation that Massachusetts Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren exploited her 1/32 Cherokee ancestry to pass as a minority is a dog-bites-man story. Continue reading “Elizabeth Warren and the Frauds of Diversity”

Iran Senses Western Weakness

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

As the clock ticks closer to a nuclear-armed Iran, the Western powers are girding their loins for — more talks. Continue reading “Iran Senses Western Weakness”

Obama’s Christmas Gift to Iran

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

As the last American troops roll south to Kuwait, the end of the war in Iraq invites unsettling comparisons to another war America declared over before losing its nerve and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Continue reading “Obama’s Christmas Gift to Iran”

Despicable Israel Libels on Display in California Universities

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

The moral and intellectual corruption of American universities has recently manifested itself in the California State University system, the largest in the country. Continue reading “Despicable Israel Libels on Display in California Universities”

Time for a Foreign Policy Paradigm Shift

by Bruce S. Thornton

FrontPage Magazine

The greatest danger in foreign policy is a reliance on worn out paradigms and unexamined assumptions. This received wisdom acts as a mental filter that ignores new developments and lets through only that information which fits the preordained narrative. Continue reading “Time for a Foreign Policy Paradigm Shift”