The Death of a Crackpot Creed

"The era of liberal interventionism in international affairs is over. The liberal interventionism that took root in the aftermath of the cold war was never much more than a combination of post-imperial nostalgia with crackpot geopolitics. It was an absurd and repugnant mixture, and one whose passing there is no reason to regret. What the world needs from western governments is not another nonsensical crusade. It is a dose of realism and a little humility."

You can read more of John Gray's superb essay on the 'crackpot creed' of liberal interventionism here. But while neo-conservatism and liberal interventionism are both discredited creeds, one problem remains. Despite the disaster their ideology has caused, and the lack of public support for their agenda, neo-conservatives and liberal interventionists are still disproportionately represented in the corridors of power and the media. Remedying that defect is absolutely vital if we're to make sure that humanitarian catastrophes like Iraq never happen again.