Re: the Middle East and nation building, I read Natan Sharansky’s The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror soon after publication and bought into the argument it could be applied to Iraq and Afghanistan.
I came to realize that was completely incorrect, that Islam is completely antithetical to Democracy and Freedom, and no society whose people believe in Islam (which is a political system every bit as much as a religious one) will ever have Democracy and Freedom as understood in the West.
I don’t think Bush ever came to that understanding. He certainly never admitted it if he did.
We’re 15 years late decamping from the Afghanistan punitive expedition at this point. Never should have gone into Iraq.
Great post detailing a journey many have been on.
If anything Trump has been cleaning up the mess from the two previous admins and it’s a hell of a task. I give him high marks on Foreign Policy.
He has not started a new war or conflict..1st president in 30 odd years not to do so!
Biden would be a nightmare. He is totally owned by special interests and has voted for numerous wars etc. in the Senate.
However he gets a pass from the media so it’s a joke. Look for Trump to bring up Foreign Policy in the debates and make the liberals squirm over Joe’s vote for the Iraq war(s).
Some of us tried saying that (that we shouldn’t be going into Iraq) on this site back in 2002-but there was the usual chorus of cheerleaders who would shit you down if you dared go against the flow. Things haven’t changed.