You may not be interested in war but war is interested in you. When it comes to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Leon Trotsky’s line is apt. Much like the role Vietnam played in American politics long after US choppers had flown Saigon, the Iraq syndrome stalks foreign policy debate. The latest victim is Jeb Bush, who last week gave four different answers to whether he would have emulated his brother had he known then what he knows now. He arrived at the correct one — “no” — three responses too late. As a display of political constipation, it was awkward to watch. Nor is the question likely to go away. Unlike Vietnam, which did not pose a direct threat to the US, Iraq remains a live challenge.
你可能对战争不感兴趣，但战争对你感兴趣。就2003年美国领导的入侵伊拉克的战争而论，列昂•托洛茨基(Leon Trotsky)的这句话很恰当。伊拉克综合征继续折磨着美国外交政策辩论，这很像美国直升机飞离西贡后很长一段时间，越南在美国政治中所起的作用。最近一位受害者是杰布•布什(Jeb Bush)，不久前，有人问他：如果当时他知道现在已知的信息，他是否会效仿自己的哥哥时，他给出了四个不同的答案。他答错了三次，第四次才迟迟给出正确答案——“不会”。这一幕展示了政治上的难言之隐，看到它令人尴尬。这一问题也不可能消失。越南不对美国构成直接威胁，而伊拉克不一样，它仍然是一个现实挑战。