Twenty Years Later

Usually Ross Douthat just brings the stoopid to the pages of The New York Times, but this week his column is somewhat thought-provoking. His contention seems to be that we don't recognize and celebrate the full significance of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. This is probably true, but sadly it is understandable because although most of the existential threats to liberal democracy have been vanquished, we act as if our existence is one the line every time a Hugo Chávez or a Kim Jong-Il yawns.

Today would be greeted by more celebration if things had actually changed here after the fall of the Berlin Wall, but even though our Cold War rival collapsed, we are still always on a permanent war footing. We still spend as if we are gearing up for a showdown with another superpower. I'm not advocating that we go back to a pre-World War II setting where we have no armaments industry and scrap every tank, but there is a lot of ground in between no standing military and spending far more than any industrialized nation.

Maybe Douthat is right that we should recognize this day and take stock. It might provide some perspective when looking at the dangers in the world today.