Al Qaeda’s “real grievance is existential.” They hate us because we make it impossible for them to “get the eighth century back.”
“Who in the world would think they could bring a caliphate back? But that’s exactly what they believe.”
Thus Victor Davis Hanson during the first installment or chapter of my interview with him on Uncommon Knowledge, which the Hoover Institution produces and (as of this very morning) NRO puts up.
In coming days, you’ll hear VDH will discuss his recent trip to Iraq, his meeting with Gen. Petraeus (Victor found him “crusty,” which he liked a lot), the reasons we should not take military action against Iran, and what’s to become of the discipline to which he has devoted his life, military history.
But for chapter one—and Victor Davis Hanson on the fundamental nature of the enemy—click here.
And if you’d like to comment about Uncommon Knowledge on NRO television, drop me a line. We’re still working out all kinds of details, from technical problems (if I hear another word about “aspect ratios,” I’ll drop) to matters of aesthetics (we plan to redesign the set). I’ll join our producer, Bill Free, in reading every email we receive.