The Newest Deal with Iran Is the Latest in a Long Line of Failed Agreements with Authoritarians
J.D. Vance’s incoherence.
June 24, 2026
J.D. Vance’s incoherence.
While some have compared the Trump administration’s recent understanding with Tehran to the one concluded by the Obama administration in 2015, Douglas Feith argues that it follows a much broader pattern of democracies misunderstanding authoritarian adversaries. Feith traces this pattern from 1919 to the 1990s, and describes its dangers:
J.D. Vance’s incoherence.
Violent radicalism and liberal complacency.
Radicalism’s roots.
Uriah P. Levy and Frank Marx Etting.
A grotesquely portrayed Jewish mother isn’t just petty and transphobic, she’s also pro-Israel.
While some have compared the Trump administration’s recent understanding with Tehran to the one concluded by the Obama administration in 2015, Douglas Feith argues that it follows a much broader pattern of democracies misunderstanding authoritarian adversaries. Feith traces this pattern from 1919 to the 1990s, and describes its dangers:
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