The Imperialist's Lie

The conceit that our constant meddling in their affairs has somehow been forced on us by the people in the region is one of the biggest lies in our foreign policy discourse.

In an otherwise forgettable column about Iran, Bret Stephens makes a comment that sums up the distorted worldview of American interventionists:

But if long experience in the Middle East has taught us anything, it’s that the region doesn’t easily leave the rest of the world alone. 

If this is what “long experience” has taught Stephens, it is no wonder th…