What would Jefferson Do?

It may be this project of creating democracies is a bit more involved than some had hoped. The article at Newappealtoreason as well as news of the currentparlimentary stalemate demonstrate the complexity, ambiguity and indeterminate nature of the process of self determination.In our case we were "one nation,under God", a distinct advantage but there in the gulf region with their unfortunate historical, religious and tribal contradictions they will need more than the intercession of Allah. Throw in the oil ,a superpower and a couple of super suckups (coalition of the willing) and this is a long way from Williamsburg.

Still the liberal hawks, allied now with their not-so-liberal bedfellows clamour for a concise moral position, free of nuance or shading. You are either with them or against them.Everything changed on 9/11. In the space of a few horrible minutes on that fateful day the glass went from being half empty to half full. Through victimhood we acquired (re-acquired?) that righteousness which allowed/ allows us to stand as a beacon to the uncivilized rabble. The slate is wiped clean with its unfortunate realpolitic, Nicaragua, the Taliban, the Shah, the sanctions et al. all obliterated in the white light of our new crusade.

The problem ,of course, one our friends on the left with their anti-tyranny clarity hesitate to acknowledge, is that"once the running of the state involves a permanent and massive shortage of historical Knowledge, that state can no longer be led strategically". When the weak state one has so carefully maintained (as in the case of Iraq) suddenly deteriorates into a "failed" state, do you really expect or deserve congratulations when you have to go in and clean up the mess? Should this discussion include such things as oil reserves, permanent bases, over a hundred thousand left dead and dismembered, the cost, in terms of social production, to both their and our society?