Victor Davis Hanson
Almost daily over the last four months we were told that
In March, President Obama ordered the use of American bombers and cruise missiles to join in with the French and British to finish off the tottering Gadhafi regime. Obama was apparently stung by liberal criticism that the U.S. had done little to help rebels in their weeks-long effort to remove Gadhafi -- after only belatedly supporting the successful revolutionaries in
Months ago, intervention to the Obama administration seemed a short, painless way of ridding the world of a decades-long international menace while gaining praise for helping "democratic" reformers. Oil, of course, is always a subtext in any Middle Eastern war.
But almost immediately contradictions arose. Sometimes we ordered Gadhafi to leave; at other times we insisted we were only helping the rebels. Bombs seemed to be aimed at the Gadhafi family, even as we denied such targeted killing -- and were reminded that U.S. law forbids the assassination of foreign leaders.
The rebels were variously described as would-be democratic reformers, inept amateurs, hard-core Islamists, or mixtures of all three. No one seems to have answers months later, though many insurgents share a deep-seeded racial and religious hatred of Gadhafi's African mercenaries. Who knows whether post-Gadhafi Libya will become an Islamic republic, a
The more
The Obama administration asked for legal authorization from the
Both conservatives and liberals were flabbergasted by the sudden preemptive war. Conservatives who supported the messy efforts in
Liberals were appalled that the president, who, as a senator, had always praised the War Powers Act, was now ordering his legal team to find ingenious ways of bypassing it. If this was to be a multilateral, un-Bush war, why then did it split
The left had also decried Western attacks on oil-exporting Muslim countries, but now liberal-in-chief
The odious Gadhafi has been an international pariah for most of his tenure, funding terrorists, killing Americans and murdering dissidents. But even as the bombs were dropped, he was a monster in the midst of rehab. By late 2010 his jet-setting family was being courted by Western intellectuals, reestablishing diplomatic relations with
Then, with a snap of the fingers, in early 2011 Gadhafi was suddenly reinvented as a
What is next?
The general consensus, from both left and right, is that we should finish the misadventure as quickly as possible. Apparently, the only thing worse than starting a stupid, unnecessary war against a madman is losing it.
- Handling Big Contradictions
- Tax Havens: Shady Deals
- Environment: Worlds of Water
- Environment: Rebuilding Sandcastles
- Economic Cost in Yemen
- Egypt and Palestine: Internecine Alliance
- In New Egypt Old Conspiracies Live On
- Show Stolen From Egyptian Superstar in Anti-Mubarak Drive
- Russia Has Syrian Blood on Its Hands
- Syrian Revolution Gets Islamic Seal of Approval
- Muslim Brotherhood Challenges Jordan's King
- A Dumb and Dumber War in Libya
- Libya and the Problem with The Hague
- Are Palestinians Getting Cold Feet on Independence?
- Tent Camp Rises in Tel Aviv To Protest Home Costs
- Open Air Market at Heart of Jerusalem's Downtown Revival
- Rwanda: A New Rwanda?
- Somalia's Pirates: Ransom Cash 'Easy Come Easy Go'
- Al-Shabaab Offer Somalis Kinder and Gentler Face
- Mogadishu Hospitals Running Out of Medicine
- Kenya Feels the Strain as Somali Refugee Numbers Soar
- Ethiopia: Floods Pose New Threat to Food Security
- Understanding Nigeria's Boko Haram Radicals
- Turkey: Constitutional Overhaul?
- European Action Service: Europe Eats Its Young
- Spain: Playing at Revolution
- Spain May Change Tone on Latin America
- Britain's Tabloid Scandal Sounds Familiar
- Britain's Metropolitan Police Commissioner Quits Over News Corp Phone Hacking Scandal
- News of the World Editor Brooks Arrested
- Headed to Europe This Summer? It's Going to Be a Riot
- Europe This Summer: Go, But Carefully
- South Korea's School Tablets -- a Test for All
- Bombs Before Bread in North Korea
- 'Unprecedented' Drug Trafficking Heightens Risk To Youth
- Never-Say-Die Attitude Propels Japan to Victory Over USA In Women's FIFA World Cup Finals
- Three Venezuelan Scenarios -- None of Them Good
- Mexican President Congratulates Troops for Huge Marijuana Discovery
- On Humanitarianism: Is Helping Others Charity or Duty or Both?
- Financial Rebalancing Act: Stop Worrying About Global Flow of Capital
- Globalization and Unemployment
- The Divided States of Europe
- The Secrets of Germany's Economic Success
- Russia's Evolving Leadership
- Does Obama Have a Grand Strategy?
- The Crisis in Clean Energy
- Why Middle East Studies Missed the Arab Spring
- Egypt's Military and Upcoming Elections
- Taliban Hotel Attack: Low Death Toll, High Psychological Value
- Bin Laden's Re-branding of al-Qaida
- Perfidious Pakistan
- Effects of the American Drone Program in Pakistan
- NATO After Libya: The Atlantic Alliance in Austere Times
- South Africa's Land Reform Crisis
- Defending Democracy in Cote d'Ivoire
- Greece and EU Attempt to Avoid Disastrous Default
- Greece Passes Second Austerity Legislation
- Greek Parliament Narrowly Approves Austerity Program
- Greece Should Not Be About Austerity, It's About The Future Of Democracy
- Greek Crisis: Brace for More Volatility in Financial Markets
- Violence Mars Strikes in Greece
- Papandreou Seeks Greek MPs Support For Austerity Plan
- Ten Million at Risk as Drought Strikes African Horn
- South Sudan Teeters Weeks Before Independence
- Moroccan Voters Asked to Approve Reforms
- Myanmar Open To Microcredit Expansion
- Thousands Protest in Bangladesh Against Islamic Constitution
- New Evidence Not Sufficient to Retry Filipino Senator's Son For Rape and Murder
- Government Boosts Disaster Preparedness as Latest Storm Subsides
- Health Personnel Spreading Hepatitis in Pakistan
- Pakistan: More Polio Cases Despite Efforts to Contain It
- Brotherhood Gets Out Muslim Message with Movies
- Rejecting IMF Loan Egypt Risks Undermining Economy
- Arabs Divided on Prospects for Change
- Arab Spring: From Textbook to Tahrir Square
- Palestinian Inmates Put Away Their Textbooks
- Israel's Army Becoming God's Army
- Lebanon's New Leaders Face Economic-Credibility Problem
- Lebanon's Clerics Attack Domestic Violence Law
- Is Syrian Unrest an Invitation for Al-Qaeda?
- UK Public Workers Strike Over Pension Changes
- Belarus Holds Lessons for Syria's Asssad
- Libya and America's Commitment Problem
- Afghanistan: How Much Easier It Is to Start a War Than to Finish One
- Obama's Afghanistan Plan and the Realities of Withdrawal
- Confusing Reports of a Battle in Matamoros
- Implications of El Chango's Arrest
- All Wheat Varieties Will Have To Be Replaced
- In the Desert Kingdom: No Grassroots Politics
- Fear and Trembling in Saudi Arabia
- Minister's Resignation Highlights Jordan's Tense Relations
- Muslim Brotherhood Walks Democratic Path With Caution
- Mentoring Tomorrow's Middle East Youth Movement
- Saab Unable To Pay Employee Wages
- KLM To Power European Flights With Used Cooking Oil
- Mindanao Aid Plan Underfunded Says United Nations
- Philippine Airport Operator Looks for Body Scanners
- NATO Chief Welcomes Obama Decision To Withdraw Troops
- Afghanistan Bracing For Reduced Wheat Harvest
- Bangladesh Ethnic Communities Protest Islamization Of Constitution
- Former Mexican Attorney General Suspected of Helping Drug Cartels
- Canada to Issue New $50 And $100 Plastic Bills In November
- Conflict In Sudan's Southern Kordofan Region
- Michael David: 'My Duty Was Cleaning Guns And Shining Boots'
- Insecurity and Land Conflicts Threaten Peace In Sudan's Upper Nile State
- Children Unprotected as Polio Spreads in Chad
- Muslim Brotherhood Walks Democratic Path With Caution
- The Afghan Money Pit
- United States and Pakistan: Afghan Strategies
- Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad Admits Opposition Has Legitimate Grievances
- Syria: The Last Domino
- Turkey in Position to Lead Region Out of Tumultuous Century
- Lebanon's Opposition Feeling Threatened
- New Mexican President, Same Cartel War?
- Limited Options for United States in Yemen
- Yemenis Look To Tribes As Force For Change
- In Arab Spring Chill United Arab Emirates Puts Bloggers On Trial
- Hamas Leader Urges Fatah To Abandon West
- Somalia Power Struggle Could Intensify As Premier Quits
- Ousted Tunisian Leader Denies Charges Before Trial Begins In Absentia
- Tunisia Risks Controversy with Travel Ads
- New Insight Into Male Sex Work and HIV Epidemic in Africa
- Angola's 'Sans Papiers' Violently Deported In New Wave Of Expulsions
- Severe Drought and High Food Prices Hit Pastoralists In Africa
- The Hidden Cost Of Piracy In Somalia
- Flood-hit Mindanao Battles Water Lilies
- No Clear Route Out Of Servitude For Indentured Girls
- IMF Urges EU Leaders to Act Now on Greece Bailout
- European Finance Ministers Delay Second Greek Bailout To July
- European Union Assures Greece Bailout Funds
- Spaniards Protest Against Euro-Pact and Austerity Measures
- Greece Is The World's Least Credit Worthy Nation
- A World of Three Reserve Currencies -- Good or Bad?
- Europe Is Warning Us
- United States Has Trust Issues With China
- The United States - Russia Missile Defense Impasse
- Al Qaeda's New Video: A Message of Defeat
- Why Sudan's Peace Is in Jeopardy
- Egypt's Interim Rulers Learn the Democracy Game
- Egyptians Back Keeping Clerics Out of Politics
- House Pushes Obama on Libya
- Ignoring the War Powers Act
- Congress' Bipartisan Vice Is Cowardice
- Outgoing Robert Gates Outlines Future US Presence in Asia
- Robert Gates: Parting Shot on Afghan Policy
- An Invitation to Leave Afghanistan
- Obama Undermines Prospects for Middle East Peace
- Forty-Four Years Later, Israeli Attack on USS Liberty Provokes Strong Response
- Saudi Arabia Orders Men Out of Women's Clothing
- Gulf Becomes Fault Line for Sunni - Shiite Tensions
- Double Whammy for Bahraini Peace and Prosperity Drive
- The Human Cost of the Yemen Conflict
- Yemeni President Saleh Is Out But Yemen's Future Uncertain
- Turkey's Dilemma: Economy or Constitution
- Turkey: Elections and Strained U.S. Relations
- A Bad Day That Never Changes
- G8 Leaders Vow Billions in Aid to Egypt and Tunisia
- What 'Arab Spring'?
- Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood on the March -- Cautiously
- International Law, Palestinian Statehood and Israel's Security
- The Palestinian Move
- Israel's Borders and National Security
- Netanyahu's Message Is Self-Defeating
- Justice for a General -- At Last
- Protective Intelligence Lessons from an Ambush in Mexico
- Corruption: Why Texas Is Not Mexico
- Politics Behind Thai - Cambodian Conflict
- Re-examining the U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
- The Bin Laden Operation: Tapping Human Intelligence
- Inside Pakistan After bin Laden
- The Kaspersky Kidnapping - Lessons Learned
- A Political Vision for Israel
- 3 Ongoing Conflicts You May Not Be Paying Attention To But Should
- Visegrad: A New European Military Force
- Turkey Setting Poor Example for Other Arab Nations
- IMF's Crisis-Management Challenge
- Dominique Strauss-Kahn Scandal an Embarrassment for France
- Going Cold on Bin Laden
Available at Amazon.com:
Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America's Wars in the Muslim World
Displacement and Dispossession in the Modern Middle East (The Contemporary Middle East)
The End of History and the Last Man
The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
Copyright 2011, Tribune Media Services