We like to think of America as a nation that stands up against the evil autocrats … against wars of aggression … against the horrors of genocide and ethnic cleansing … against war crimes. After all, we are that bright shining house on the hill that defends and spreads democracy — and responds with great charity against all human suffering. We are the nation that led the free world against the brutal tyranny of the Axis powers in World War II – making the world safe for democracy.
But arguably, World War II was the exception, not the rule. While the noble role of the United States in world affairs makes for great Independence Day speeches and grade school civics classes, it is more the exception than the rule – especially when Democrats are in charge.
President Biden’s weak responses to global wars and terrorism is not a departure from past American foreign policy. It is the standard. I cite the political left because they have always been more accommodating to authoritarians – even the most vicious of them. They have stood down when democracy and humanity are threatened.
President Roosevelt was loathing to enter World War II. He was willing to send money and arms to England but not actually take on Hitler militarily. (Sound familiar?) Roosevelt had no choice but to declare war on Japan after their surprise attack at Pearl Harbor. It was only after Germany declared war on the United States that FDR responded with a war declaration against Nazi Germany – more than two years after Hitler invaded Poland and other east European nations.
Following the War, Roosevelt ceded the eastern European nations to the Soviet Union at Yalta rather than push Stalin out of eastern Europe. In short, Roosevelt appeased Stalin after the war and left half the nations of Europe to Communist oppression.
The American left has historically accepted the legitimacy of the Soviet Union and criticized all attempts to challenge Russian aggression around the world. That was until President Reagan came to office and the policy was dramatically changed. When he called Soviet Russia an “evil empire,” the east coast leftwing establishment went bonkers – calling Reagan a relic of the past. Calling his rhetoric provocative and dangerous.
But Reagan ended what was known as the Democrat “containment policy” – essentially drawing the communist containment line wherever Russia expanded. The Reagan Doctrine was to push back Russia and crush the Soviet Union – rather than accept each new acquisition by Russia as the new reality. (Sound familiar?)
Reagan bombed the palace of Muammar Kaddafi – ending the Libyan dictator’s funding of international terrorism. Reagan shot down Libyan jets to end Kaddafi’s claim over vast portions of the Mediterranean. Reagan ended – at least temporarily – America’s appeasement policy.
President George H.W. Bush embraced the new policy by stopping Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. President George W. Bush led an international military effort that took Hussein out of power. President Trump brought down the horrific ISIS Califate that President Obama allowed to grow.
Democrat presidents have not been determined to stop the aggression of despots. On President Obama’s watch, Vladimir Putin invaded both Chechnya and Georgia – with scorched earth war crime bombardments like what we are seeing in Ukraine. Obama appeased both Russia and Syria when he withdrew from the fight after encouraging the Syrian people to rise up – and after saying that despot Bashar al Asaad had to be removed from power. (Sound familiar?) Al Asaad is firmly ensconced in power almost six years after Obama cycled out of the American presidency.
While all recent Democrat presidents believed that negotiating with Hamas, Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority was essential to Middle East peace, Trump broke off the negotiations with the recalcitrant terrorist organizations and – through Jared Kushner – negotiated the Abraham Accords that brought previously belligerent nations into peace with Israel.
There is no better example of appeasing the enemy than President Biden’s surrender in the Afghanistan War. He handed an ally and budding democracy over to the terrorists – throwing Afghanistan back to the dark days of oppression.
And now we have Ukraine. There have been numerous reports that Biden is pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reach a negotiated agreement to end the fighting. That means appeasing Putin – giving him the victory for his war crimes.
Any agreement to keep Ukraine out of NATO — or any guarantee that Ukraine will never be militarized — or ceding any portion of Ukraine to Russia — is a victory for Putin. Appeasement.
And we have seen so many times in the past that appeasement does not end aggression. It merely postpones it for another time. And there will most certainly be another time if appeasement is the foundation of American foreign policy. Ukraine is the most current opportunity to change that – but it ain’t looking good.
So, there ‘tis.