Just as George W. Bush’s foreign-policy legacy will be defined by his decision to invade Iraq in 2003, Barack Obama’s is rapidly being defined by his decision to abandon Iraq in 2011. Both decisions are now widely seen as mistaken. But it’s a mistake to ignore the enormous difference between them.
For all the errors in execution, the Bush administration’s decision was taken with tremendous gravity, in response to what it rightly saw as a major strategic dilemma in urgent need of resolution. Obama’s decision, by contrast, was astoundingly frivolous, callous, and reckless.
Comments