The Naysayers

Today’s variety sound wearyingly familiar.

FOR nearly three years we have witnessed a steady stream of invective that American policy in the Middle East is amoral, impractical, or doomed to failure. The recent democratic aftershocks in Lebanon, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, which followed from the elections in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories, have sent formerly critical pundits and diplomats scrambling for cover. As interesting as the about-faces of the New York Times et al. are, we should not forget that the domestic criticism of American efforts has long roots in our past, but little to do with the historic developments on the ground in Iraq.

About the Author

Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; the author of The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won; and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness.

Featured Tags

Today’s variety sound wearyingly familiar.

FOR nearly three years we have witnessed a steady stream of invective that American policy in the Middle East is amoral, impractical, or doomed to failure. The recent democratic aftershocks in Lebanon, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, which followed from the elections in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories, have sent formerly critical pundits and diplomats scrambling for cover. As interesting as the about-faces of the New York Times et al. are, we should not forget that the domestic criticism of American efforts has long roots in our past, but little to do with the historic developments on the ground in Iraq.

About the Author

Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; the author of The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won; and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness.