The Good Fight: Why Liberals---And Only Liberals---Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again

by Peter Beinart

Book Overview

Once upon a time, liberals knew what they believed. They believed America must lead the world by persuasion, not command. And they believed that by championing freedom overseas, America itself could become more free. That liberal spirit won America's trust at the dawn of the cold war. Then it collapsed in the wake of Vietnam. Now, after 9/11, and the failed presidency of George W. Bush, America needs it back. In this powerful and provocative book,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060841613
• ISBN13: 9780060841614
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Clear purpose

Very well-written and economical, making a strong point about the recent history of liberalism in this country as a pointer to our future foreign policy. Courageous in its argument unlike the watered-down political commentary we are so used to. Detailed references support the general story.

Superb History, Decent Analysis

Peter Beinart, the editor-at-large of The New Republic, admits something up front: he was wrong about the invasion of Iraq, which he supported. He devotes much of the introduction to analyzing why he and many Beltway Democrats supported the war and, unlike many top Democrats, admits he was wrong. Some have said this is not enough: they wish to condemn Beinart for eternity over his miscalculation. Instead, I see this as intellectual growth. However, the Iraq War is not really the point of the book. Instead, the book consists of two parts: a history of the Democratic Party from 1948 to the present, and an analysis of the roots of fundamentalist Islam and the proper Democratic response to it. The first part is excellent, as Beinart (who wrote this as a fellow at the Brookings Institution) uses many sources not unearthed for decades. He paints a compelling narative starting with Henry Wallace's challenge of Harry Truman in the 1948 presidential election, covers the Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement (two turning points for the party) in depth, and then moves briskly through the Reagan and Clinton years to part two. The second part should be appreciated as a primer, although there are much better (and more comprhensive) books on the roots of Islamism. In it, Beinart gives a quick overview of the rise of Sunni extremism, what it believes about the world and the state, and how it has manifested itself in al Queda. Then, he covers the lead up to the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, analysing the Democratic Party's response. He is critical of it, although he reminds readers of his own mistakes as well. Beinart ends by saying the party should draft a new foreign policy that is willing to use force when it is in the nation's best interests, is mindful of the economic and historical roots of terrorism, and respects international opinion and institutions, as these can give the US global support for its efforts. According to reviews, this has become a very hot book in DC. Regardless of what effect it has on national policy, it provides a quick read for those who want to think about an alternative to the Bush Doctrine. Highly recommended.

A must read for liberals and conservatives

I have voted Republican in every presidential election since 1988. Peter Beinart would probably consider me a "conservative." It may therefore surprise anyone reading this review that I have given his book five stars. It may also surprise you that I voted for Walter Mondale in 1984, the first time I ever voted in a presidential election. I am a product of working class liberals from Cleveland, Ohio. I viewed the arms race as dangerous and needlessly expensive. So Mondale got my vote. Then I spent a year in Europe. Being on one of the front lines of the Cold War transformed my thinking. Totalitarianism, and the threat it posed, was real. The Cold War needed to be fought, and it needed to be won. Reagan's policies gave us a chance to win it. I became a hawk. At the same time, I learned a little about WWII and the ensuing Cold War. I came to realize that Republicans were not the original hawks. They were largely isolationists. To my surprise, Democrats were the original hawks. From WWII into Vietnam, the Cold War was fought by Democrats. What happened to the Democrats between Vietnam and 1984, and then into the present? Where did Reagan come from? If you have any curiosity about these questions and their answers, Mr. Beinart's book is a must read and earns five stars on his treatment of these historical issues alone. Mr. Beinart is a "liberal" partisan, so kudos to him for criticizing "liberals" where criticism is due and recognizing "conservatives" where recognition is due. But Mr. Beinart did not write a book just to tell the history of the Cold War. He writes to persuade us that the war on terror is every bit as real as the Cold war and, perhaps more importantly, every bit as important to fight. In the process, he offers a fair assessment of why the war in Iraq might not advance, and may actually hinder the war on terror, just as the war in Vietnam did not advance, and probably hindered the Cold War. If Vietnam caused a generation of "liberals" to abandon the Cold War, Mr. Beinart is concerned that Iraq may cause "liberals" to abandon the war on terror. He has good reason to be concerned. He reports that "only 59 percent of Democrats - as opposed to 94 percent of Republicans - still approve of America's decision to invade Afghanistan." As a "conservative," it is refreshing to hear a "liberal" voice speak honestly and directly about the dangers facing America today and about the need to confront those dangers using all available means, including military means. To the extent anyone, "liberal" or "conservative," needs reminding that the war on terror is real and worth the fight, again Mr. Beinart's book warrants five stars. To the extent anyone, "liberal" or "conservative," wants to critically assess what the war in Iraq means for the war on terror, his book will give any staunch (if open minded) "conservative" something to think about. After all, even George Will concedes that Mr. Beinart may have written "one of tho

Outstanding

An incredibly well articulated trek through a rarely discussed period of modern American history. Courageously honest and self critical. This should be required reading for every living Democrat.

An Intellectual History On Par With The Vital Center...

"Good Fight" is quite possibly the best work of liberal intellectual history since Schlesinger's The Vital Center. It really is that damn good. Beinart knows his stuff. If all you're interested in reading is another empty-minded polemic on the Iraq War, don't buy this book. "The Good Fight" isn't about the War. It's about a historical narrative spanning 60 years. In the age of mind-numbing hyperpartisanship, books like these are becoming increasingly hard to find.