by Victor Davis Hanson
Tribune Media Services
From 2007 to 2009, a surge of 20,000 troops under the generalship of David Petraeus saved a mostly lost war in Iraq. Continue reading “A Tale of Two Surges”
Tag: United States Military
Bin Laden Is Dead, But Our Delusions Live On
by Bruce S. Thornton
Advancing a Free Society
The death of Osama bin Laden has some symbolic value, particularly for the United States. A great power exercises influence not just through its military and economic assets, but through its prestige. Continue reading “Bin Laden Is Dead, But Our Delusions Live On”
Foreign Policy Charity Should Start at Home
Bruce S. Thornton
Advancing a Free Society
The outbreak of protests and rebellion throughout the Middle East have quickly generated an orthodox narrative: When people suffering under brutal autocrats and dictators have finally risen up to satisfy the innate human longing for freedom and democracy, we should support these aspirations on moral grounds. Continue reading “Foreign Policy Charity Should Start at Home”
Memo to the General: Free Speech Doesn’t Kill People, Jihadists Kill People
by Bruce S. Thornton
Advancing a Free Society
Citizen control of the military is one of the most important foundations of political freedom. Rather than an instrument of a powerful autocrat or king, the army in a republic serves the collective interests, security, and policies of the state as determined by the citizens through the constitutional processes of deliberation and election. Continue reading “Memo to the General: Free Speech Doesn’t Kill People, Jihadists Kill People”
Our Libyan March Madness
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
The prognosis for Libya might be better if our president cared more about it than about the NCAA. Continue reading “Our Libyan March Madness”
Foreign Policy as Wishful Thinking
by Bruce S. Thornton
Advancing a Free Society
The current military intervention in Libya by the West has been marketed with the claim that its purpose, as French President Sarkozy put it, is “to protect the civilian population from the murderous madness of a regime that has forfeited all claim to legitimacy.” Behind this humanitarian idealism, however, lurk a host of questions and dangers, reflecting wishful thinking rather than a prudent foreign policy. Continue reading “Foreign Policy as Wishful Thinking”
America’s Sorta Rescue?
by Victor Davis Hanson
NRO’s The Corner
What a No-Fly Zone Means
Now that we are committed to a no-fly zone (an unwise idea, I think, given the absence of consistent aims or defined objectives), we must support it and ensure its success. Continue reading “America’s Sorta Rescue?”
Should We Intervene in Libya?
by Victor Davis Hanson
National Review Online
There are plenty of good arguments for imposing a no-fly zone in Libya. Without Libyan-government air strikes, the rebels might have a better chance of carving out permanent zones of resistance. Continue reading “Should We Intervene in Libya?”
Victor and the Savior Generals
by Victor Davis Hanson
Defining Ideas
What factors decide wars? Luck? Fervent ideology? Preponderance of material resources? Or is advantage achieved by superior manpower and morale? In modern times, is victory found largely in lethal cutting-edge technology? Continue reading “Victor and the Savior Generals”
The Tab Comes Due in 2011
by Victor Davis Hanson
Tribune Media Services
Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and both the elder and younger George Bush all found the third and fourth years of their presidencies harder than the first and second. The nation and the world tired of speechmaking. The novelty of a new commander in chief faded; poll numbers went south. The same thing is now happening to President Obama on a variety of fronts. Continue reading “The Tab Comes Due in 2011”