alternative hippopotamus

progressive cyberdadaism from our nation’s capital

July 27, 2006

Brooks on Foreign Policy

by AltHippo @ 1:27 pm. Filed under Uncategorized

I don’t often quote David Brooks. He is, by definition, a movement conservative, being one of the founders of the Weekly Standard. And, in case you haven’t yet noticed, this is not a movement conservative blog. However, on the Newshour last Friday, Brooks gave a concise summary of conservative foreign policy that I found illuminating, particularly with respect to the current situation in Lebanon: (Newshour)

DAVID BROOKS: These are the ancient two branches of foreign policy conservativism, the one — and George Will is another on that side — goes back to Edmund Burke who says societies are extremely complicated. We don’t really know much about them. If you try to do something dramatic, you’re probably going to lead to all sorts of intended consequences, and that’s Burke.

And then the other side, you could say it’s Churchill. You’ve got evil in the world; you’ve got to stand up to that evil; and you’ve got to defeat that evil. And these are two strains, and they’re just playing out.

As I say, I find this to be a very concise summary, and illustrative of the Bush administration, who clearly falls into the Churchillian tradition of good vs. evil, if not the Churchillian tradition of grammar and pronunciation.

The fundamental flaw of posing things as a conflict of good vs. evil, the classic Manichean duality, is that its logic appeals to the lowest part of the brain. It is that part that knows only black and white thinking. You’re either right or your wrong. For me, or against me. Some call it the reptilian part of the brain, no offense meant to reptiles.

Take Hezbollah. The West sees Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The East sees Hezbollah as an organization that opposes Israeli occupation. The West things the East is wrong, and anti-semitic. The East thinks the West is wrong, and anti-Muslim.

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