This finely argued, if somewhat conventional, analysis of the stakes in this war contains one of my all-time favorite quotes, from the controversial architect of the Cold War doctrine of "containment," George Kennan, comparing America to a dinosaur:

“He pays little attention to his environment; he is slow to wrath—in fact, you practically have to whack his tail off to make him aware that his interests are being disturbed. But once he grasps this, he lays about him with such blind determination that he not only destroys his adversary but largely wrecks his native habitat.”