At heart, Bush is a revolutionary. Everything he has done in his first 32 months as president shows that he is committed to challenging the existing order. He has been audacious rather than cautious, proactive rather than reactive, risk-prone rather than risk-averse. In his actions as well as his doctrines, he has changed the course of American foreign policy.

The administration's National Security Strategy forthrightly commits to ‘fighting terrorists and tyrants’ and ‘encouraging free and open societies on every continent.’ What it ignores is that these two goals often conflict. … Which should take priority: America's commitment to its ideals, or a concern for its safety? … The strategy offers no advice on how to answer these questions.

A critical question as the United States enters this new ‘cold war’ is whether it has learned the lessons of the last—or whether it is destined to repeat its mistakes.