The mistake of governing in terms of historical cliches

I’ve just had an educative and interesting read, with an article from Newsweek. I need to start with that quote:

It may be true, as the saying goes, that leaders who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. But it’s also true that leaders who carelessly or heedlessly use historical analogies, who twist or hype the lessons of the past, may be destined to make even bigger mistakes than their predecessors. – Evan Thomas, from Newsweek

The article surveys some major events in world history from the perspective of American presidents, starting with World War II until today’s US presidential election. All events are seen through the prism of historical cliches such as Chamberlain’s politic of appeasement in Munich or Vietnam’s failure.

It shows how politicians are influenced by these historical cliches, casting their strategies for action in terms of those historical cliches, even accusing each others of repeating history for worse.

The conclusion? There’s no black and white politics:

In the reality of power, presidents generally realize that the choice between negotiation and force is rarely clear-cut or either-or. – Evan Thomas, from Newsweek

Good judgment is the key. Every situation needs its assessment before taking action. Hardly breaking news, but wise words nevertheless.