In the arts, the writer must craft a fictional work to induce the willful suspension of disbelief: the audience must deny the fact the work isn’t real; immerse themselves in the imaginary settings and manufactured situations; and be emotionally invested in the fictional characters’ lives. When the fictional story is over, the audience returns to reality, edified—or at least entertained—by the experience.
By contrast, applying fictional narratives to actual foreign affairs and national security induces the suicidal suspension of disbelief. And no one is safe.
