Not So Fast Yourself

The Moose argues:

The Iraq war is leading some progressives into a full embrace of neo-realism. These liberals shun interventionist internationalism for the type of pragmatic realism that was the hallmark of Brent Scowcroft and Jim Baker. In fact, these two Republican figures are rapidly becoming national security role models in progressive circles.

Not so fast. It was the realists' coddling of Middle Eastern tyrannies that helped breed the Jihadist menace with which we are at war. Saudi Arabia which spreads Wahabi hatred is Exhibit A of a theocracy that realists love to love. Back in the nineties, the realists would have us look away from the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans

Actually Bull, that ain't the case. Realism didn't coddle tyrants, corruption did, incumbency did, a failure of our judicial system to intervene did... these aren't failures of pragmatism, they're a failure of the people to lead.