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Yep. I remember hearing an author who wrote a book about why Presidents so often fail in foreign policy. They build their entire careers on their talents in splitting differences, and convincing people to see things their way. What they don’t realize is that in western democratic countries, 90% of people share the same basic worldview. They have no experience dealing with people who have a completely alien mindset. All the skills that have brought them success are not only a useless, but a detriment in a situation like you describe. Not just liberals, but even a lot of conservatives just can’t open their minds to that reality. That was G.W. Bush’s main problem, IMHO. He just couldn’t believe that most people over there don’t want freedom, at least not in terms of individual liberty for everyone.

“That was G.W. Bush’s main problem, IMHO. He just couldn’t believe that most people over there don’t want freedom, at least not in terms of individual liberty for everyone.”

But we gave them the chance. Now if we have to nuke them, at least we know we tried.

Yep. I remember hearing an author who wrote a book about why Presidents so often fail in foreign policy. They build their entire careers on their talents in splitting differences, and convincing people to see things their way. What they don’t realize is that in western democratic countries, 90% of people share the same basic worldview. They have no experience dealing with people who have a completely alien mindset. All the skills that have brought them success are not only a useless, but a detriment in a situation like you describe.

That was true of FDR and Wilson, also Carter and now Obama. Roosevelt trusted his own political skills too much. Wilson and Carter underestimated the complexity and chaos of the world. Wilson assuming his abstract ideas could solve all the world's problems and Carter assuming America was the problem. You can see some of those same mistakes in the current administration.

Not just liberals, but even a lot of conservatives just can’t open their minds to that reality. That was G.W. Bush’s main problem, IMHO. He just couldn’t believe that most people over there don’t want freedom, at least not in terms of individual liberty for everyone.

That is also true. It has something to do with ethnic fragmentation (nobody wants other groups to have the same freedom they want for themselves), with religion (which trumps individual freedom in that part of the world), and with distrust (people assume that if they don't have the upper hand they will be at the mercy of others who aren't very merciful).