This Friday, September 17, at Noon ET, we’ll be joined by the third in our triad of guests on the “war on terror,” Spencer Ackerman. Spencer is an old colleague from The New Republic who for years has been doing invaluable reporting from inside the American national security state. In recent weeks he’s won acclaim for his book,
Thank you for yet another insightful article. While I find it intriguing how you have set the incidents of 9/11 in a historical context that could provide an explanation of the American reaction, I find that it also implicitly, or maybe even unintentionally, exonerates the US (and its various administrations) of a policy that consistently reflects a sense of righteousness and that depends almost entirely on ‘might’ as a way to solve other people’s problems.
This is an important piece that I think nails a vitally important element of the dynamic of that time.
Thank you for yet another insightful article. While I find it intriguing how you have set the incidents of 9/11 in a historical context that could provide an explanation of the American reaction, I find that it also implicitly, or maybe even unintentionally, exonerates the US (and its various administrations) of a policy that consistently reflects a sense of righteousness and that depends almost entirely on ‘might’ as a way to solve other people’s problems.
A question that I suppose would follow then is, if 9/11 had happened in 1988, would hubris or the Vietnam Syndrome have won out?
Excellent perspective - thanks!