Nice Moments on the Corner 

Nice Moments on the Corner

I want to post more on Iraq and democracy--both the Jonah Goldberg vs. Juan Cole controversy (was the recent Iran election good enough, the only problem is that the mullahs took back more power? So Iraq just has to follow that model? Or does the U.S. want Iraq to adopt a more secular model? Can the U.S. get what it wants in Iraq?); and the larger debate centering (now) around John Derbyshire: is there any reason for the U.S. to try to build "democracy," or "freedom," at enormous expense, when strrategically they really just have to keep everyone weak who might threaten them? Derbyshire might agree with Robert Conquest (British conservatives?) that much of the world isn't ready for democracy, it takes a long period of "liberalism" for democracy to work, etc.

But for now: Derbyshire responds to Cliff May, who has suggested that in the past the U.S. has done a lot of good by occupying countries, not leaving soon or promising to do so.

"In the 20th Century, the United States won its wars against European and Asian fascism--partly because there was no exit strategy. "


Cliff: There was another factor in our victory against European and Asian fascism. We turned their cities to charred rubble and killed an entire demographic cohort of their young men.


Even better: John Hood:

Theological dialogue is no substitute for intelligence, espionage, spreading freedom with missionary zeal, setting a good example at home, punishing killers, and taking vigorous military act when necessary. But it is a good complement.


This refers to a story about Yemen--which some have feared will become more of a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism--where the authorities claim they can talk would-be terrorists out of their radical views by appeals to the Koran (one of the authorities mentioned in Bush's recent speeches). The Bushies and their allies don't oppose "Islam itself."

But this somehow captures the Bush doctrine: theological dialogue is actually a weapon against the enemy; there is an ideological war afoot. The enemy might say, in secret meetings, Monty Python-style: "No, not theological dialogues! Those devils! They'll stop at nothing!" But Hood prudently cautions: theological dialogue won't be enough; we can't do entirely without "vigorous military action."

There's nothing specifically about tax cuts or reforming Social Security in the Hood passage, but maybe such domestic matters are all implied in "setting a good example at home."

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