THE THING IS, OBAMA BELIEVES THAT THE RIGHT SIDE WON: The Lost Revolution:

Afghanistan was not the only foreign policy disappointment of the last seven years. Barring the administration’s “historic” nuclear deal with Iran and his Climate Change accord, the foreign policy landscape is one of desolation. This week marks the 5th anniversary of another epic chance missed, a once in a century opportunity turned to ashes: the Arab Spring. Once synonymous with hope it has become shorthand for the Mother of All Screwups. . . .

Imagine a Battle of Lexington leading to a War of Independence that went horribly, horribly wrong. That wouldn’t be hard if you could conceive of a leadership that decided to ‘lead from behind’. Sohrab Ahmari, writing in the Wall Street Journal, says that when the old order collapsed an Islamism waiting in the wings came out to fill the vacuum left by a distant Barack Obama. ‘Good Guys’ who were without guns found themselves abandoned by Western governments to bloodthirsty Mustache Petes in the cynical belief that it was easier to make a deal with political Islam or dictators than build a region on new democratic principles.

This was for some reason regarded as smart. Ahmari argues that by the time West found they could not negotiate with bad guys it was too late to reverse the damage.

They say never to attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence. But can they really be this incompetent?