Edward Luttwak, writing in Prospect magazine online, says we pay entirely too much attention to the Middle East. He argues that it is of greatly diminished relevance to modern life outside of the region.
One by one he takes up the popular policy positions toward the Middle East and shows that they will not, indeed cannot, work. He therefore argues for what New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called in another context "benign neglect." That is, leaving the region alone to work out its own problems.
Who knows? Maybe ignoring the Middle East would work better than what we've been doing for the past 50+ years?
One by one he takes up the popular policy positions toward the Middle East and shows that they will not, indeed cannot, work. He therefore argues for what New York Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called in another context "benign neglect." That is, leaving the region alone to work out its own problems.
Who knows? Maybe ignoring the Middle East would work better than what we've been doing for the past 50+ years?
