Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
In presidential elections, Republicans face an uphill battle. Changing demographics mean that, over time, fewer Americans are identifying with the party. To win the White House, the Republicans need a candidate who appears centrist enough to pull in independents and conservative Democrats. At conservative events in non-election years, party insiders study and groom potential candidates. Their choice this time is … >>
You’ve no doubt heard by now of the latest threat to international stability. A radical group called ISIS has rapidly taken over one third of Iraq and one third of Syria. ISIS is a coalition of known Sunni insurgent groups, including the Mujahideen Shura Council and Al Qaeda in Iraq. Saying they have a “take no prisoners” attitude is an … >>
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — American philosopher George Santayana (1863–1952) “Every successful revolution puts on in time the robes of the tyrant it has deposed.” — American historian Barbara Tuchman (1912–1989) Americans love historical reenactments. In the Deep South, actors at historic mansions dress up as plantation owners and Southern belles. On both … >>
Ten years ago today, the United States invaded Iraq — a country that had not threatened the US and that had no means of attacking it. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were killed; two million became refugees. A total of 4,475 American soldiers were killed, and another 32,221 suffered significant injury, disfigurement or amputation. Many more suffered traumatic brain injuries … >>
Well, it’s been ten long years since those towers turned to dust; the memorial is being dedicated on that site on Sunday. The mastermind of the attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is rotting away somewhere after being waterboarded 130 times. His boss, Osama bin Laden, is (supposedly) at the bottom of the sea. An attack of the same magnitude has not … >>
A few years ago, in the early stages of the Iraq war, some Americans complained that the military action was illegal. This puzzled my brother-in-law. “How can a war be illegal?” he asked me. I was flattered at the chance to show that my years of studying history and political science had not been in vain. I told him about … >>
Victory was in the air, and it seemed the appropriate thing to do. George W. Bush, perhaps nostalgic for the service he’d abandoned in 1971, wore a military pilot’s uniform as he stepped out of a fighter plane onto the deck of an aircraft carrier. The ship was full of troops returning to California after they’d defeated the Iraqi army … >>
It’s the first thing most of us are told before going abroad: “Don’t be an Ugly American.” We’re reminded — by our teachers, by the government, by travel websites — that we are all ambassadors of our country. People abroad will judge our country by the actions of the individuals they meet. The Ugly American was the title of a … >>
This time, all the TV networks carried the speech. That’s how important it was — the strategy so long in coming on how to win a war many consider unwinnable. Speaking at the prestigious West Point military academy, Barack Obama said that over the next six months, America would send another 30,000 troops to join the roughly 70,000 already in … >>
I almost missed it, it was so small. Hidden below a story about the death of Socks, the Clinton family cat, was this item in Time magazine: REOPENED Five years after the atrocities committed within its walls shocked the world, Abu Ghraib now touts modern amenities and humane treatment of its inmates. The renovated jail, rechristened Baghdad Central Prison, formally … >>