at a panel discussion on national security

Ethan with Tom Nichols

Ethan and I attended a panel discussion on global security at the NYPL. It was one of six discussions that were part of a program titled "Shades of Red and  Blue: Uniting Our Divided Nation. The idea being to get people who disagree to talk in a civil manner. It was largely successful.

While the goal is laudable, our main purpose was to hear Tom Nichols speak. Nichols is one of Ethan's favorite national security experts -- the others being John Schindler and Kurt Schlichter. Yeah, I know -- some parents' teenagers have favorite rock stars or football teams. My teen has favorite national security experts.

The talk was somewhat wide-ranging, as the panelists made points about FDR acting as the nation's teacher, the changing nature of warfare, and America's changing role in the world.

Nichols made the point -- a couple of times -- that Americans as a whole are ignorant of foreign policy and its complexities. The first time was in response to co-panelist Walter Russell Mead arguing that the American electorate has been remarkably consistent over a period of decades in voting against American involvement overseas. Nichols' response was that they weren't so much voting against involvement as voting on other issues. The last time he made the point was when an audience member began a multi-part question by noting that foreign policy isn't complicated -- it's just an extension of interpersonal relations -- if you're nice to others they'll be nice to you.

If I were a foreign policy expert, I'd have blown a gasket at that. Nichols calmly said that he disagreed, and foreign policy is complicated by the possibility of unintended consequences. I can't speak for him, but I suspect that he relied on considerable restraint.

After the panel discussion, Nichols stayed to talk to (and take pictures with) interested audience members. Listening in, I heard him discussing "fake news." He argued that fake news does represent a threat to our country. But he was clear that "fake news" should not be used as a placeholder for "editorial positions I disagree with."