WDS: War Derangement Syndrome

The piece recounts a personal memory tied to the start of the 1991 Gulf War era and expands into a broader argument about how recurring US-led wars have affected public perception and political expectations. The author describes hearing a “special announcement” on January 16, 1991, when George H. W. Bush said the US would go to war, and lingering in disbelief for nearly half an hour afterward. Shifting to the post-2001 period, the writer claims the “War on Terror” produced fear and domestic restrictions alongside large-scale destruction abroad. The article then looks back at the post–Cold War period, arguing that a group of US “neocons” pushed for seven wars between 2002 and 2007.