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The Arrow of History

“Barack Obama is a classic case study in foreign policy idealism. Indeed, one of his favorite quotations is about the arrow of history: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ He has spent nearly eight years trying to advance that arc of justice.” “Unfortunately, with ‘justice’ did not come peace. The policies that followed — appeasing Vladimir Putin, the Iranian mullahs, the butchers of Tiananmen Square and lately the Castros — have advanced neither justice nor peace. On the country. The consequent withdrawal of American power, the agent of injustice or at least arrogant overreach, has yielded nothing but geopolitical chaos and immense human suffering.” Is the unraveling of historical events better understood as an arrow, a cycle, or something infinitely more idealistic? Are we doomed to repeat our foreign policy failures and successes in different times and different places, or will the world evolve toward a more peaceful place? Columnist Charles Krauthammer examines the foreign policy idealism of the Obama administration and whether its recent dose of realism is necessary and good.

j street musings

Much like the absence of J Street in Washington, DC, we provide what is too often lacking from today's politics--substantive research and thoughtful discourse.

 

J Street Musings is a collection of essays and articles on a variety of issues and genres.  Authored by our team and by scholars and thinkers across the world, each post highlights a few key quotes and fundamental questions to direct our minds toward a thoughtful engagement of the article.

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