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 […]
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
The dangerous belief that words alone can transcend an eternal truth of human nature. by Bruce S. Thornton // FrontPage Magazine Everybody knows the deal with Iran is a disaster. Why is equally obvious: Iran will get $150 billion to spend on weapons and its terrorist proxies, will keep its enrichment facilities, will continue to
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 truth about the danger of Saddam Hussein and why we went into Iraq. by Bruce S. Thornton // FrontPage Magazine Jeb Bush tangled himself up recently when he tried to answer a dumb question on the intelligence failures about Iraq’s WMDs and their role in going to war with Saddam Hussein in 2003. I’m
Public opinion veers with every change in current conditions in Iraq. by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online Probable Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush got himself into trouble by sort of, sort of not, answering the question whether he would have supported going into Iraq in 2003 — had he known then what we know
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
What accounts for hatred of the West by people who voluntarily spent years here? by Victor Davis Hanson // National Review Online One of the stranger things about East–West relations these days is the schizophrenic attraction to, and hatred of, Western culture that characterizes many foreign leaders and celebrities. Share This