Trying to follow the news these days can easily drive anyone to madness. Lenin famously noted that there are decades where nothing happens, and weeks where decades happen. We are clearly in the latter scenario: cursed to live in interesting times.
Worse, what is happening in the world at the moment is not only tragic and heart-wrenching. It also feels disorienting and even increasingly untethered from reason. Consider how the Financial Times described U.S. President Donald Trump’s Iran “policy” in recent weeks: “The head-spinning course changes … revealed once again how the US president alternates between blustery threats, efforts to cut deals, extreme measures and sudden victory laps—even when momentous issues are at stake.”
Momentous issues certainly are at stake. Indeed, the events unfolding today are of world historical importance. But in the political debate, nothing seems to mean anything anymore. Ever-more outlandish declarations and announcements are made, only to be contradicted hours later. Blustering press conferences and all-caps social media posts double as serious policymaking.