Lionel Shriver Lionel Shriver

Why are so few Americans willing to defend their country?

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For many of us war voyeurs watching the news with a glass of sherry, admiration of the little-engine-that-could Ukrainian fighters is underwritten by unease. As families escape to safety, plenty of feisty Ukrainians are remaining behind to battle a far more powerful aggressor, and they’re not all men, either. The question nags, then: in the same circumstances, would we stick around to defend our homelands, or would we cut our losses and get out?

Earlier this month, that’s precisely what a Quinnipiac poll asked Americans.

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Lionel Shriver
Written by
Lionel Shriver
Lionel Shriver is a columnist at The Spectator and author of We Need to Talk About Kevin, among other books.

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