Heartbreak Aside, Iraq Progresses

by Victor Davis Hanson

This column was syndicated by the Herald Tribune Co. and appeared in newspapers last weekend.

This New Year, Americans should reflect on what we have accomplished in more than three years of hard war since being attacked on Sept. 11. The Taliban and Saddam Hussein are gone — but without the envisioned millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands of dead. Continue reading “Heartbreak Aside, Iraq Progresses”

Fighting for Free Speech

FIRE’s guide to defending student rights on campuses

by Bruce S. Thornton

Private Papers

If you have a child in college the most important book you both should read is available free of charge. Continue reading “Fighting for Free Speech”

The Disenchanted American

Are we growing world-weary?

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

There is a new strange mood of acceptance among Americans about the world beyond our shores. Of course, we are not becoming naïve isolationists of 1930s vintage, who believe that we are safe by ourselves inside fortress America — not after September 11. Continue reading “The Disenchanted American”

This is Your Wake-up Call

Jared Diamond can’t find the key to superior civilization.

by Bruce S. Thornton

Private Papers

UCLA professor Jared Diamond’s journey into academic superstardom was jump-started when President Clinton held up Diamond’s 1999 Guns Germs and Steel before the news cameras, after which bestseller status and numerous prizes, including the Pulitzer, followed. Continue reading “This is Your Wake-up Call”

Into the Tar Pits: Dinosaurs Either Evolve or Die

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

There was a time when the political lines about foreign policy were well drawn. Those on the Left felt that American democracy and global capitalism did not necessarily offer the rest of the world a much better alternative than either Soviet-sponsored Communism or third-world thuggery. Continue reading “Into the Tar Pits: Dinosaurs Either Evolve or Die”

Our Challenges in the Year Ahead

What we learned from three years of war.

by Victor Davis Hanson

Private Papers

A shorter version of this essay recently appeared in the Australian Financial Review. Continue reading “Our Challenges in the Year Ahead”

From Gulag to Israel

Will freedom necessarily conquer fear societies?

by Bruce S. Thornton

Private Papers

The Case for Democracy. The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror by Natan Sharansky, with Rom Dermer (Public Affairs, 2004) 303 pp. Continue reading “From Gulag to Israel”

Leave Rumsfeld Be

He is not to blame for our difficulties

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

The Washington Post recently warned that doctors are urging interested parties of all types to get their flu shots before the “scarce” vaccine is thrown out. But how is such a surfeit possible when our national media scared us to death just a few months ago with the specter of a national flu epidemic, corporate malfeasance, and Bush laxity? Continue reading “Leave Rumsfeld Be”

The Modern World’s Greatest Delusion

How enlightened are modern myths of sexuality?

by Bruce S. Thornton

Private Papers

If you want a good guide to the pathologies of the liberal mind, look no farther than Frank Rich’s weekly column in the Sunday New York Times. Continue reading “The Modern World’s Greatest Delusion”

Gay Old Times?

Oliver Stone perpetuates a classical myth

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Magazine

The consensus about Oliver Stone’s Alexander is that the film’s splashy gay motifs could not overcome the stilted dialogue, ludicrous Irish-brogue and Count Dracula accents, and excruciating minutes of dead screen time devoted to model-like poses, secretive eye contact, and soap-opera double entendres. Continue reading “Gay Old Times?”