After reading the articles once again, I am struck by the similarity the two possess and how I did not notice this on my first reading. Both articles speak of the importance of history and how repercussions from the past are present in our world today and affect our future as well. Additionally the articles also refer to the totalitarian regimes of Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini along with their imposition of political institutions on the masses. Ironically I feel that this is evident in our world today as well in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq. Countries have been invaded, their governing bodies have been toppled and new puppet regimes have been placed instead. Both countries are not equipped for democracy due to their past political history which has consisted of dictators and totalitarian regimes, consequently making the existence of a democracy pointless and more harmful. Hence I agree with Pfaff in saying that America is blinded by an optimism to save the world that is not yet ready to be saved.