American elites flatter themselves in their belief that they understand the world, with its countless geographical, cultural and political cleavages. They theorize abstractly in Washington, meet with fellow elites at conferences in country capitals, and then delude themselves into thinking that they know the mind-set and reality of distant villages and border posts. This assumption of knowledge where little exists has been a factor in our misadventures in Iraq, Libya and elsewhere. Tufts University political scientist...

Source: Wall Street Journal February 05, 2017 22:52 UTC