The psychology of The Long War

posted March 3, 2006

The mindset in Washington is now, officially, apocalyptic. The Pentagon’s quadrennial strategy review, released in February, puts the United States on course for what is now described as “The Long War.”

This is more than a linguistic replacement of the “war on terror.” The new moniker represents the baptism of a national attitude that will color our way of life and endanger our children for decades to come as we, as a nation, self-identify as victims — a status that justifies our worldwide aggression in the virulent interest of self-preservation.

In the Pentagon review, U.S. commanders depict an open-ended war against global Islamist extremism that “may well be fought in dozens of other countries simultaneously and for many years to come.”

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