The Bad/Good Idea of Removing Assad

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

Who could not despise the tottering Bashar al-Assad dictatorship in Syria?
Continue reading “The Bad/Good Idea of Removing Assad”

Winning Battles, Losing Wars

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Can We Still Win Wars?

Given that the United States fields the costliest, most sophisticated, and most lethal military in the history of civilization, that should be a silly question. Continue reading “Winning Battles, Losing Wars”

Presidential Narcissism

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

Former president Bill Clinton just appeared in a reelection television commercial for President Barack Obama. At one point, Clinton weighs in on the potential consequences of Obama’s decision to go ahead with the planned assassination of Osama bin Laden. Continue reading “Presidential Narcissism”

Change–and Some Hope

by Victor Davis Hanson

PJ Media

Rays of Sun Amid the Storm

The Rasmussen Tracking Poll recently had Romney up 50 to 42 over Obama. At this early juncture, such polls mean nothing — except as diagnostic indices of why perhaps both candidates go up and down in popularity. Continue reading “Change–and Some Hope”

More Rubble, Less Trouble

by Victor Davis Hanson

Defining Ideas

Western Warfare, as originated by the Greeks and systematized by the Romans, took various forms over the ensuing two millennia. European militaries put greater emphasis on decisive battles such as Gaugamela or Kursk. They focused on collective discipline, the importance of staying in rank, superior technology, and logistics. Continue reading “More Rubble, Less Trouble”

Decline or Decadence?

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

Almost daily we read of America’s “waning power” and “inevitable decline,” as observers argue over the consequences of defense cuts and budget crises. Continue reading “Decline or Decadence?”

The New Anti-Semitism

by Victor Davis Hanson

Defining Ideas

Not long ago, The Economist ran an unsigned editorial called the “Auschwitz Complex.” The unnamed author blamed serial Middle East tensions on both Israel’s unwarranted sense of victimhood, accrued from the Holocaust, and its unwillingness to “to give up its empire.” Continue reading “The New Anti-Semitism”

Campaigning on Grievances

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

In 2008, a mostly unknown Barack Obama ran for president on an inclusive agenda of “hope and change.” That upbeat message was supposed to translate into millions of green jobs, fiscal sobriety, universal healthcare, a resetting of Bush foreign policy, and racial unity. Continue reading “Campaigning on Grievances”

Iran’s Win, Win, Win Bomb

by Victor Davis Hanson

National Review Online

Iran, if not stopped, will join the nuclear club, probably within two or three years. It may be stupid to try to preempt Iran; it may be even stupider not to try. Continue reading “Iran’s Win, Win, Win Bomb”

The Second Oil Revolution

by Victor Davis Hanson

Tribune Media Services

The world was reinvented in the 1970s by soaring oil prices and massive transfers of national wealth. It could be again if the price of petroleum crashes — a real possibility given the amazing estimates about the new gas and oil reserves on the North American continent. Continue reading “The Second Oil Revolution”