All The Right Enemies

Mark Kleiman: “Hezbollah, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, John Bolton, Hugh Hewitt, and the Republican Jewish Coalition, and John Boehner all disliked the President’s speech.”

And, look, it’s no coincidence. Extreme elements on both sides of a conflict are in a symbiotic relationship. Islamist violence against the west strengthens the hand of the nationalistic right in the United States. But nationalist militarism from the United States strengthens the hands of violent radicals in Muslim countries.

Update:

I should say that I shouldn’t have followed Kleiman’s lead in lumping the Muslim Brotherhood in with Hamas and Hezbollah. The latter are violent organizations and the Brotherhood isn’t — the distinction is important.