Victor Davis Hanson and the war

Hanson is an historian of ancient Greece who specializes in hoplite warfare. His books on the topic, such as The Other Greeks are brilliant, though many of his theories are controversial. Since 9/11 he has become an intelectual cheerleader for the right wing when their enthusiasm for the war in Iraq flags. His columns for National Review Online come out about every two weeks and are usually published in book form, like The Autumn War, every year or so. I am fascinated by the way his mind works. Very often I agree with him, especially his historical writings about the Greeks. At other times I am much less in agreement, but he is always interesting.

In today's column he makes two comments that I think show these qualities.

After a recent trip to the Middle East, I noticed that the unfortunate prejudicial stares given to a passenger with an Iranian passport were surpassed only by those accorded another on his way to Damascus.

Anecdotal evidence almost never pans out, but this is interesting. But what does it mean? Sunnis in the Middle East don't trust Shi'ites? They don't trust or like Iran? Or simply don't like Iranians? Or Indo-Europeans in general? Fascinating.

So after 9/11, the London bombings, the Madrid murders, the French riots, the Beslan atrocities, the killings in India, the Danish cartoon debacle, Theo Van Gogh, and the daily arrests of Islamic terrorists trying to blow up, behead, or shoot innocent people around the globe, the world is sick of the jihadist ilk. And for all the efforts of the BBC, Reuters, Western academics, and the horde of appeasers and apologists that usually bail these terrorist killers out when their rhetoric finally outruns their muscle, this time they can’t.

As I said, I don't always agree with him. But then, I am a Western academic. As is Hanson himself. I suppose he sees himself as being in the belly of the beast. Essentially he thinks of himself as a traditional farmer on his southern California family farm. But he is still worth reading.