The Iran agreement will remake the Middle East — for the worse. by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online There are several scenarios the Obama administration may be entertaining as it pursues its diplomacy in the Middle East. It may believe that the new agreement with Iran will lead to “engagement” with reform-minded theocrats. The …
by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online Unpopular though it may be to say so, I, for one, grew exhausted by the non-stop pronouncements /commentaries of Pope Francis. The spiritual leader of 1 billion Catholics — roughly half of the world’s Christians — Francis just completed a high-profile, endlessly publicized visit to the United States. …
How the misuse of a term legitimizes the jihadist myth of Western guilt. by Bruce S. Thornton // Defining Ideas 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 …
Obama may have forgotten about “war with Islam,” but war with Islam has not forgotten about him. by Bruce S. Thornton // FrontPage Magazine President Obama recently gave a speech at the Pentagon about our efforts against ISIS that confirmed he has little awareness of the real world our enemies inhabit. The talk reprised the …
The latest volume of J.B. Kelly’s essays shows how little we’ve learned about the Middle East. by Bruce S. Thornton // Defining Ideas From the 1960s to the late 1990s, John Barrett Kelly was one of the most influential advisors, writers, and commentators on the Middle East. In 1980 his book Arabia, the Gulf, and …
by Bruce S. Thornton // FrontPage Magazine In theory, Middle East Studies programs are a good idea. One of the biggest impediments to countering modern jihadism has been the lack of historical knowledge about the region and Islam. But even the attention and urgency that followed the terrorist attacks on 9/11 have not led to …
The Postcolonial Rot Spreads Beyond Middle East Studies Read More »
by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online Free speech and artistic and intellectual expression have been controversial Western traditions since the rise of the classical-Greek city-state. When our Founding Fathers introduced guarantees of such freedoms to our new nation, they were never intended to protect thinkers whom we all admire or traditionalists who produce beloved …
Why admiring the Muslim world won’t stop the bloodshed. by Bruce S. Thornton // FrontPage Magazine The recent attack in Texas against a “draw Mohammed” event ended up with two dead jihadis and widespread criticism of event organizer Pamela Geller for “inciting” or “provoking” the assault on our First Amendment right to free speech. The …
The Failed Tactic of Flattering Islam Won’t Go Away Read More »
by Bruce S.Thornton // FrontPage Magazine The HBO documentary about Scientology, “Going Clear,” is a must-see. Not so much because it exposes Scientology as a moneymaking, totalitarian cult, something most people already have known for 50 years. More useful is the film’s description of Scientology’s ideas, techniques, and tactics, for they bear an eerie resemblance …
by Bruce S. Thornton // FrontPage Magazine The “nothing to do with Islam” mantra took a hit recently in one of the premier organs of liberal received wisdom, The Atlantic. Many have greeted as a revelation Graeme Wood’s article on the Islamic doctrines behind ISIS’s atrocities. Regular readers of FrontPage and Jihad Watch will not …