Paul Starr

About the Author: Paul Starr is a professor of sociology at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. He is co-editor of The American Prospect, a journal of liberal opinion.

Even before the jubilation in Kuwait City died down—indeed, even before the Gulf War ended in a decisive allied victory—many who warned that the war would go badly were warning that the war's aftermath would go badly. That is a safe prediction. No one has ever won a nickel betting on peace and harmony in the Middle East or gained a reputation for political clairvoyance by predicting that a war in the region would end its ancient conflicts.

But for all the postwar uncertainties, there ought to be no remaining doubt that the Gulf War was worth fighting and winning...