Nation Building Doesn't Work

by Patrick Appel

After Obama's Iraq speech, David Brooks wrote a column titled, "Nation Building Works." Joel Wing begs to differ:

There are several problems with Brooks' argument. First, the Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction considers the rebuilding of Iraq a failure. The Bush administration did not adequately plan, nor coordinate its post-war program. The lack of security undermined the entire effort causing huge cost overruns, the abandonment of some projects, and led to a huge...