Cynicism is trendy these days. From college campuses to media pundits, the recent culture of the United States has been one of criticism, pessimism and disbelief. In this past year, it has become clear from listening to foreign policy analysts that almost everybody dislikes the U.S. and that we are quickly losing our place as the world superpower, along with the respect that should accompany that position. As far as anyone can tell, there is no clear prospect for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The troubles we face in Iraq don't even begin to scratch the surface of our long list of problems, and now we can't even download a few songs from the Internet filled with the appropriate angst to adequately express our ennui and hopelessness as down-trodden, bourgeois Americans. Boo-hoo.

Life is all about perspective. Right now, the only perspective we get from ivory towers and satellite broadcasts is one of thinly veiled self-righteousness. On Iraq, on the war on terrorism and on the domestic front, everybody has a newer, better way to criticize, whine or show apathy. While the anti-war camp feels vindicated by the difficulties the U.S. now faces in Iraq (which I find both premature and disheartening), I have yet to hear any of these experts offer an original solution or a constructive suggestion to rebuild Iraq. Overtures are being made by the administration for the United Nations to become more involved, but all we hear from most experts is that this comes too late. The road map for Israeli-Palestinian peace is in shambles, so we might as well just quit it seems. Did I mention that Williams College is now ranked #1 in U.S. News and World Report?

I think it is time to take a deep breath and re-evaluate a few basic points. On the national level, the U.S. in engaged in a struggle. This struggle is not about being a Democrat or Republican, a peacenik or a hawk. It is about securing the safety of our cities and citizens in the homeland and abroad. Any fight worth fighting is difficult. There is no question that the war on terror is real. There are people who hate the U.S. for what it is, not what it does. Dealing with this situation and these people would be as difficult for Dean, Kerry or Gephardt as it has been for Bush. It is also worth noting that the U.S. has not suffered a terrorist attack in two years. In the war against terror, every day of normalcy is a small victory, and our security awareness as a nation is higher than it has ever been. These are good things. They are not ground-breaking, incredibly impressive, parade in the streets kind of good, but they do mean something, and we should be aware of them.

As for Iraq, the setbacks have been serious but not completely unexpected. The Bush administration did not come along and topple a happy, stable society. A murderous, ruthless dictator and his sociopathic sons have been ousted from a position of absolute authority over millions of Iraqis. Nobody should be crying over the loss of Uday, Qusay and Saddam. Lives have been lost in this pursuit, but it is unfair to overlook the lives that have been saved from Saddam's torture chambers and on the streets of Jerusalem (Saddam may or may not be tied to al-Qaeda, but we all know he gave money to the families of suicide bombers in Israel). We can agree that the Bushies haven't played well with our allies and that the U.N. should have a bigger supportive role, but there still could be a lot of good that comes from this state-building project in the world's most precarious region.

Make no mistake about it, cynicism about our foreign policy intentions and pessimism about the future of the U.S. is as safe as it is simple. Nobody wants to be appear naive, so to avoid this we are told to be cynical about everything. As a result, there are few fresh ideas expressed in the media or on college campuses. We as students and Americans are increasingly afraid to take a stand based on faith or a belief in the goodness of American principles. So please, come up with something new. Take a stand on something. Make a difference. Trust me, there are plenty of other people who will find something to complain about.