The America our new president inherits bears an uncanny resemblance to our old enemy, the Soviet Union—right before it went under. Our country's paranoia and stubbornness have secured us indifferent allies and intractable commitments. Not only is there Afghanistan—still Afghanistan—where we fight the same enemy we once created to bleed the Russians, but just to show that we can do everything twice as much, twice as well, as anybody else, we've added Iraq. And as we export our defective version of democracy to the Middle East, in Latin America, our own "near abroad," our efforts have raised resistance to American influence to new levels. The Chileans, the Argentines, the Bolivians—they were pioneers, they privatized everything, and look at them now. Our satellites are dropping from their orbits! But what is to be done? As Colin Powell once said: "We do deserts, we don't do mountains." Read More