Chapter 13: Keeping the World at Bay

The author here talks about fanaticism. He identifies the countries termed by Ronald Reagan as Loony Tunes. He also describes several hostile historic figures such as Hitler, Amin, and Khomeini. In addition, Krauthammer thinks that “The coexistence of irrational ends and rational means is an enduring source of astonishment” (207). Further, he makes a discussion on the search for “moderates in Iran”. He talks about Hassan Rouhani who is an agent to Khamenei. He then tries to comprehend Rouhani’s intentions and the aim of his interrelation with the west and the rest of the world.

Besides, Krauthammer tries to explain the Middle East problem. He seems ultimately sure that the efforts made Trump’s administration in restoring peace in the area will not work considering all the efforts made by previous administrations. The author thinks that an outside-in strategy would work in bringing Palestine into accepting a deal for peace. However, he believes that Trump is using an inside-out plan and it is a guarantee that it will fail terribly. In addition, he talks about the legacy of Bush, including his achievement of making America safe and enabling Iran over Al Qaeda and Taliban. Apart from that, failure of Obama’s administration in the Iraq war and in the Middle East is apparent and discussed in details.  Additionally, the author also covers a lot on Trump, Russia, and Estonia.