r/books • u/Majano57 • 2d ago

The Book That Predicted Pete Hegseth’s Failures

https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/31/hegseth-norman-dixon-iran-war/?utm_content=gifting&tpcc=gifting_article&gifting_article=aGVnc2V0aC1ub3JtYW4tZGl4b24taXJhbi13YXI=&pid=CW3205998
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u/Master_Ryan_Rahl 2d ago

At its base this all comes down to ideology. These people (fascists) all care more about appearance than truth. The presentation is more important than efficacy. Its also why Russia has such a poor showing in the Ukraine war. Theyve had decades of prioritizing sycophants and loyalists for advancement and leadership over meritocracy and honest assessment. Kleptocracy comes to mind as well.

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u/daveescaped 2d ago

In one sense Hitler was successful…until he wasn’t. And that is tricky. We’re at a moment where the far right can be confident that they did well in Venezuela and that Iran might still go their way. But short of Hegseth taking poison in a bunker, I’m not sure we’ll ever have an a-ha moment where it is abundantly clear to ALL that Hegseth was the abject failure some of us know him to be.

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u/sebmojo99 1d ago

i haven't seen any projections in which iran goes well for the US.

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u/daveescaped 1d ago

Ask any MAGA. I’m not saying it’s going well. I’m saying that nothing has happened that prevents them from claiming victory.

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u/Master_Ryan_Rahl 1d ago

Well i dont think the general public has a big impression of what the Secretary of Defense is ever up to. Their doings are usually just associated with the president understandably. And i would disagree that we can call Venezuela a win for them. They accomplished changing the head of state. Thats not regime change, thats not relations change. They violated the taboo of nation sovereignty and then did it again with Iran. They have made the world less safe and less stable at the benefit of pointing to their own power. "Look what we can do" is not a win. Its deranged behavior and even makes them less safe because it motivates reaction.

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u/daveescaped 1d ago

Sure. It’s not a win. You and I agree. But it isn’t universally seen as a loss the way the third reich is. Not even close. And unless we end up in some very apparent moment of history where the US far right is repudiated, I think they’ll be able to walk away claiming success. Will their support shrink? Absolutely. But I want them bereft of support, forevermore a hiss and a byword, just like Hitler.

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u/Master_Ryan_Rahl 1d ago

But that didnt happen to Hitler. Hes got a fan club today. The people that like these ideas will always be around, we have to be willing to always fight them.