A Thinking Reed

"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal

War & Peace

  • The dismal prospects of anti-war conservatism

    Speaking of the prospects for anti-war conservatism, Michael Tomasky reviews (free registration required) Bill Kauffman’s upcoming Ain’t My America: The Long, Noble History of Antiwar Conservatism and Middle American Anti-Imperialism. Tomasky gives a largely sympathetic hearing to Kauffman’s history-cum-commendation of conservative isolationism and notes that “it wouldn’t be a bad thing to see the Republican Read more

  • Bacevich on Obama

    Andrew Bacevich offers a cold-blooded argument for an Obama presidency. The key point is that electing Obama will serve as a repudiation of the Iraq war and, to a lesser extent, the imperial trajectory of which it’s a key part. This, Bacevich thinks, could set the stage for a revival of “genuine conservatism,” which he Read more

  • Obama and interventionism

    I was skeptical of this article on Obama’s approach to foreign policy because I think Brendan O’Neill and the rest of the Spiked crew often bend over backwards to be contrarian. But he makes some legitimate points. Obama, while still preferable to the other candidates, isn’t a bona fide peacenik. I do think O’Neill stretches Read more

  • Just war reconsidered

    The Christian Century reviews three books on just war theory and pacifism. All three agree that even if we accept just war theory, there’s a need for positive practices to nurture peace. Read more

  • After Iraq

    Andrew Bacevich on the search for post-Iraq principles for US foreign policy (via Gaius). Read more

  • Did the surge work?

    Michael Kinsley says nuh-uh. Read more

  • The good war

    Good article by Matthew Yglesias on what Kosovo hath wrought. Read more

  • Good question

    Why do antiwar voters keep voting for McCain? Read more

  • The case for Obama

    Chris Hayes makes it at the Nation. Not being a progressive in good standing myself, I can’t go along with everything he says, but this, for me, is key: But while domestic policy will ultimately be determined through a complicated and fraught interplay with legislators, foreign policy is where the President’s agenda is implemented more Read more

  • Springtime for militarism

    John McCain has some admirable qualities and has taken some good stances in defiance of his party, but Justin Raimondo performs a salutary service in reminding us that McCain’s record on foreign policy has been not only consistently pro-war, but that he has consistently taken the maximally hawkish view on any given conflict (e.g. he Read more