The Icarus Syndrome

Podcast: Peter Beinart on 'The Icarus Syndrome: A History of American Hubris'

On today's podcast Peter Beinart joins us to discuss his new book, "The Icarus Syndrome: A History of American Hubris." In our interview, Beinart discusses three examples of American overconfidence. They include Woodrow Wilson and the the hubris of reason; the Kennedy-Johnson hubris of toughness during Vietnam; and lastly, the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. Beinart argues American history goes through cycles, taking us continually from triumph to hubris to disaster (and back again). Beinart and I also discuss Ronald Reagan, who seems to have balanced foreign policy questions during ...

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