I think that the current iteration of America First is even worse than the original, even with the latter's vivid streak of antisemitism.
Today's isolationists start from the assumption that America is a bad country, the focus of evil in the modern world, whose global interventions invariably bear poisonous fruit. In reality, though, it's their preferred policies that sow death and destruction. These people were all for the abandonment of Afghanistan, and their criticism of the debacle engineered by our ridiculous current president was based on the risible claim that Trump would have administered the stab in the back more efficiently. Afghanistan's subsequent descent into chaos and darkness bothers them not at all. Who cares what happens to a bunch of creepy foreigners in a faraway country? And faced with the consequences of that abandonment, they have the damned impertinence to complain about all the US weaponry that fell into the hands of the Taliban after Biden's skedaddle. Well, what did they expect?
The isolationists also decry what happened in Iraq. But the truth is that for all the mistakes made by successive American governments, Iraq is better off today than it was when Saddam Hussein was running the show.
Now, regarding the Russo-Ukrainian War, the isolationists have become apologists and enablers of V. Putin. They parrot his propaganda and fake history, branding America and NATO as the true aggressors. What choice did poor, put-upon Vlad have? He had to invade Ukraine so as to protect Mother Russia from soulless globalism. I can't count the times I've gotten this comeback from natcon isolationists. It's enough to gag a maggot.
In all this, the natcons have become indistinguishable from the radical Left, who also revile "American imperialism."
I have a post upcoming on how stupid Ramaswamy’s candidacy is. He’s a joke. So unserious. I’ve been listening to his hour-and-a half long appearance on Bari Weiss’s podcast. God he’s ridiculous. Looking forward eagerly to your analysis
I look forward to reading your comments about Ramaswany's foreign policy views. I visited his campaign website (https://www.vivek2024.com/) but could not find any links to foreign policy positions. (I did, however, love his short video "Truth" which asserted his anti-woke, pro-American exceptionalism views.) I think he would be a great candidate except for his total lack of government experience and his tendency to voice interesting, but outside the pale, policies; like, for example, raising the voting age to 25.
I think, as I suppose you do as well, that his views on Ukraine are unsound and dangerous.
Well if you can't trust the political and ethical judgements of the NYT in 1941, who then can you trust? (Their 1930's Moscow Bureau Chief and Pulitzer Prize laureate Walter Duranty?) Yeah, our Axis enemies in WW2 were abominable beyond words (you might want to surf through the deeply unhinging "Man in the High Castle" on Amazon Prime to see what it could have been like if we had lost). But our KIAs in WW2 were only ~400K. Maybe another 50K US civilian dead, max!
What was that sardonic line, "war is good for business, invest your son"? Just as "a woman's right to choose" is probably something that morally lies outside of the ken of most men (excepting maybe those of us whose DNA package is reluctantly being aborted... been there done, that twice!), the childless portion of the electorate should absolutely not be waving any bloody shirts.
Some intervention is good, but their is a group of Washington insiders who make their living advocating intervention.
These American empire builders always want intervention and then nation building (which the US is demonstrably poor at).
Afghanistan is a prime example.
.
The neocons in their hubris thought that we could succeed where Alexander, the British Empire, and the Soviet Union had failed.
The end result is a huge cost in western blood and treasure, many Afghan lives, and a return to the status quo ante (except that we armed the Taliban with a dream armory).
But worse.
America suffered a public defeat, Americans lost even more faith in government, and our national debt continues to grow.
So forgive me, but I am dubious when academics who are too old to fight advocate intervention.
I think that the current iteration of America First is even worse than the original, even with the latter's vivid streak of antisemitism.
Today's isolationists start from the assumption that America is a bad country, the focus of evil in the modern world, whose global interventions invariably bear poisonous fruit. In reality, though, it's their preferred policies that sow death and destruction. These people were all for the abandonment of Afghanistan, and their criticism of the debacle engineered by our ridiculous current president was based on the risible claim that Trump would have administered the stab in the back more efficiently. Afghanistan's subsequent descent into chaos and darkness bothers them not at all. Who cares what happens to a bunch of creepy foreigners in a faraway country? And faced with the consequences of that abandonment, they have the damned impertinence to complain about all the US weaponry that fell into the hands of the Taliban after Biden's skedaddle. Well, what did they expect?
The isolationists also decry what happened in Iraq. But the truth is that for all the mistakes made by successive American governments, Iraq is better off today than it was when Saddam Hussein was running the show.
Now, regarding the Russo-Ukrainian War, the isolationists have become apologists and enablers of V. Putin. They parrot his propaganda and fake history, branding America and NATO as the true aggressors. What choice did poor, put-upon Vlad have? He had to invade Ukraine so as to protect Mother Russia from soulless globalism. I can't count the times I've gotten this comeback from natcon isolationists. It's enough to gag a maggot.
In all this, the natcons have become indistinguishable from the radical Left, who also revile "American imperialism."
Hear, hear.
I have a post upcoming on how stupid Ramaswamy’s candidacy is. He’s a joke. So unserious. I’ve been listening to his hour-and-a half long appearance on Bari Weiss’s podcast. God he’s ridiculous. Looking forward eagerly to your analysis
That podcast was what got me so agitated I've been doing nothing for days but denounce Ramaswamy and everything he represents.
Hahaha
I look forward to reading your comments about Ramaswany's foreign policy views. I visited his campaign website (https://www.vivek2024.com/) but could not find any links to foreign policy positions. (I did, however, love his short video "Truth" which asserted his anti-woke, pro-American exceptionalism views.) I think he would be a great candidate except for his total lack of government experience and his tendency to voice interesting, but outside the pale, policies; like, for example, raising the voting age to 25.
I think, as I suppose you do as well, that his views on Ukraine are unsound and dangerous.
Well if you can't trust the political and ethical judgements of the NYT in 1941, who then can you trust? (Their 1930's Moscow Bureau Chief and Pulitzer Prize laureate Walter Duranty?) Yeah, our Axis enemies in WW2 were abominable beyond words (you might want to surf through the deeply unhinging "Man in the High Castle" on Amazon Prime to see what it could have been like if we had lost). But our KIAs in WW2 were only ~400K. Maybe another 50K US civilian dead, max!
What was that sardonic line, "war is good for business, invest your son"? Just as "a woman's right to choose" is probably something that morally lies outside of the ken of most men (excepting maybe those of us whose DNA package is reluctantly being aborted... been there done, that twice!), the childless portion of the electorate should absolutely not be waving any bloody shirts.
Devil's advocate.
Some intervention is good, but their is a group of Washington insiders who make their living advocating intervention.
These American empire builders always want intervention and then nation building (which the US is demonstrably poor at).
Afghanistan is a prime example.
.
The neocons in their hubris thought that we could succeed where Alexander, the British Empire, and the Soviet Union had failed.
The end result is a huge cost in western blood and treasure, many Afghan lives, and a return to the status quo ante (except that we armed the Taliban with a dream armory).
But worse.
America suffered a public defeat, Americans lost even more faith in government, and our national debt continues to grow.
So forgive me, but I am dubious when academics who are too old to fight advocate intervention.