And One More Time...

So Far in 2024

This was always going to be a tumultuous year, with U.S. national elections and wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The first half of 2024 has exceeded expectations. Here, briefly, are reflections on what has been happening.

1 -- Trump, Putin, and Bibi. These three men have their constituencies in thrall and the world at risk. The demise of Iran’s president in a helicopter crash shows how fast things can change. Trump is in criminal and civil courts. Putin and Bibi are being accused of war crimes by international prosecutors. More certainly to come.

2 -- The Biden shrug. I am an admirer of Joe Biden’s presidency. But the Biden shrug is still prevalent, if not dominant, according to pollsters. We have had experiences this century with political shrugs. Al Gore lost by Supreme Court fiat in 2000, and the war in Iraq was a result – and by the way, Iraq is now an ally of Iran. Hillary Clinton’s emails in 2016 were instrumental in delivering us Trump and the chaotic era that followed.

3 -- Civilization is tribal. We are divided by gender, race, religion, ethnicity, and nationality, among other identities. Bias, prejudice, and antagonisms evolve. Antisemitism, an ancient strain that combines elements of all this, has been resurgent this year. Israel’s policies in Gaza are ostensibly the reason, though it’s clear that something deeper is at work. It was striking that this Passover Jewish students at American universities were considered so vulnerable that police had to be involved in their protection.

4 -- The American public’s mood is terrible. That’s what I read and am told on pervasive media. I am not in a position to judge so broad an issue. But I do think that the belief that things are going badly on many fronts -- the economy, crime, inequality -- has a tendency to result in self-fulfilling outcomes, at least when it comes to the national frame of mind.

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The serialization of LBJ and McNamara: The Vietnam Partnership Destined to Fail will begin next week, June 4, and will appear on a weekly basis through the summer. The posts will be on Peter Osnos’ Platform on Substack. Sources, acknowledgments, and comments will be at platformbooksllc.net, along with audio of Robert McNamara working with his editors on his memoir In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.