Threats to Security: More dangerous than the ones that led to WWII

Security Should Be The Deciding Issue, (Wall Street Journal)…Frederick W. Kagan, Oct 31, 2008

…The inward-focus of the U.S. and the leading Western powers (Great Britain and France) throughout the 1930s allowed these problems to metastasize, ultimately leading to World War II. Is it possible that American inattention to the world in the coming years could lead to a similarly devastating result? You betcha.

…  the current international environment is by any comparison more dangerous for the U.S. than the one that led to World War II.

When people feel relatively safe, they vote their pocketbooks. When they feel endangered, they vote for security. The world today offers no reason for Americans to feel safe. If we want safety, we have to be ready to fight for it.

Mr. Kagan is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-author of “Ground Truth: The Future of U.S. Land Power” (AEI Press, 2008).