Needed for Long War: strategic imagination
The Big Bang was President Bush's strategy of shaking things up for the better in the Middle East, using Saddam Hussein's takedown as trigger. At first it worked like a charm, as promising changes ensued in Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.
Now all those tenuous advances appear overwhelmed by recent events.
If the Big Bang ultimately fails, much of the blame will lie with the Bush administration and its unwillingness to change its tactics once it got the ball rolling. In short, this crowd knows when to say no but not when to say yes. [read on]
