Oct 30, 2014 2 min read

This past summer marks 100 years since the start of the first World War. Election Day is Tuesday. How is a conflict that occurred generations ago in any way relevant to stepping into the voting booth? The short answer is historical context.

Much to the disappointment of many Democrats, the social, political, and economic issues that face the United States did not, in fact, begin with the election of President Bush in 2000. And, surprising as it may be for some Republicans, the election of President Obama in 2008 is no more to blame for geopolitical instability. Sadly, the historical perspective of countless voting Americans reaches no further than the ham sandwich they had for lunch yesterday.

Even a cursory review of the record demonstrates that the seeming insecurity of 2014 is not unlike that of 1914. Consider the continuing tension between Israelis and Palestinians, and violent religious extremism across Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Such incidents and their consequences are direct descendents of the ethnic and nationalistic spirit of the World War I era that ultimately led to the creation of the borders and conflicts that characterize the modern Middle East. And while the enemy was unmistakable in the past – think the Axis vs. the Allies, or the Soviet Union vs. the United States – a clear binary no longer exists. Ambiguity, half-truths, and media-hyped paranoia lead to a bogeyman character like the Islamic State or the anonymous, foreign visitor who might have Ebola.

Do not let this media fear mongering make you forget your history. Do not let unfounded suspicion and historical illiteracy make you illogically blame the very people who inherited a century-old mess – with the aim of cleaning it up – for starting it. This Tuesday, vote with your head, not a scared heart.

Andrew McCormick

Washington