Senator Marco Rubio’s (R–FL) foreign policy speech today at the Brookings Institution included a standout sentence that should be thoughtfully considered: Even in our military engagements, the lasting impact of our influence on the world is hard to ignore. Millions of people have emerged from poverty around the world in part because our Navy protects the freedom of the seas, allowing the ever-increasing flow of goods between nations. From time to time, however, we are reminded of just how quickly that could change—for example, when Somali pirates redouble their sea …
This week two more Congressmen, Dan Lungren (R–CA) and Aaron Schock (R–IL), joined the Eisenhower family in opposing Frank Gehry’s design for the Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial, which disrobes a statesman of his legacy and slaps Eisenhower’s name on what is, in fact, a monument to the national experiment in moral relativism. In art and architecture, postmodern thinking has slowly but steadily stripped public spaces of potential beauty. Now the movement seeks to strip statesmen of their meaning. Conviction is almost a dirty word in this era of relative truth. …
Tonight, the contenders for the GOP presidential nomination gather in Washington, D.C., at the CNN/Heritage/AEI debate on U.S. foreign policy. It’s about time! Currently, there is little logic to America’s international priorities and actions abroad. U.S. troops are leaving Iraq, entering Uganda, and toppling foreign leaders while “leading from behind.” Looming budget cuts risk current operations and preclude much-needed military modernization. Fundamentally, there is no consensus about America’s proper role in the world. What America needs—especially from its presidential candidates—is a prudent approach to foreign policy that applies America’s founding …
The slogan “War breeds war. Peace breeds prosperity” has become a favorite idea of the anti-war faction on the right. Unlike their anti-war allies on the left, who favor protectionism, those like Congressman Ron Paul (R–TX) are rightly committed to economic freedom. Their mistake lies in thinking that commerce and security are separate issues. Nothing could be more at odds with the experience of American statecraft. In 1789, the blessings of liberty secured by the Constitution began to manifest themselves (see chart) as imports (light blue) and exports (dark blue) …
In the midst of the current budget battle, there are a lot of folks—right and left—who assume that defense spending is a luxury that America just can’t afford at the moment. This a view far removed from James Madison’s conviction that “security against foreign danger is…an avowed and essential object of the American Union.” America’s spending priorities are out of whack. Congress’s shortsighted intransigence on the budget will likely mean cutting back the number of delivery days for the U.S. postal service and indiscriminately slashing the defense budget (two items …
Next Tuesday, the contenders for the GOP presidential nomination will square off in another debate, this time focused on foreign policy. If the last few months are any guide, at least one of those debaters will argue that if America just withdrew its military and stopped taunting other countries, then peace would be more likely. Take Iran, for example (as one candidate has), which recently attempted to carry out a targeted bombing in Washington, D.C.: What about just “offering friendship to them” instead of trying to keep them from acquiring …
In each century since our nation’s founding, foreign enemies have tested the strength of the American republic, our national security, and our political principles. September 11, 2001 was not the first devastating attack on U.S. territory: in 1814, the British burned Washington, D.C., and, in 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A look back at these two events reminds us that 9/11 was not a wholly unique event. The death, destruction, and shock of the attacks reinforced a lesson learned previously by generations of brave Americans who bequeathed to us …
For several days in London, hoodlums have been razing cars, breaking windows, robbing stores, and threatening the safety of passers-by. These riots are on a scale unseen in modern England. The itinerant, often hooded lawbreakers have made good use of social media in efforts to evade police and strike in poorly policed neighborhoods. As street violence elsewhere in Europe has become more frequent in the midst of economic crises, it is crucial to properly understand the nature of the riots. Unfortunately, voices on the left have already seized the opportunity …
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) recently sent a letter to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court enjoining them to initiate an investigation of NATO and its military commanders for potential war crimes related to civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Libya. Kucinich concluded his exhortation: “NATO has repeatedly and wantonly neglected to follow [international] law. The United Nations…has no choice but to conduct an independent investigation of actions taken by NATO and to pursue prosecution where warranted.” The Representative from Ohio is misguided in his estimation that American commanders should subject …
The decision to adopt a national seal was made on July 4, 1776, the same day that the Continental Congress declared America’s independence from Great Britain. As a practical matter, America needed an official emblem to affix to diplomatic and official documents in order to signify its sovereignty as a new nation. And yet our Great Seal would become so much more than a mark of sovereignty; the symbolism of the Great Seal reflects America’s universal, timeless ideas. As opposed to the state seals of European nations, the imagery of …
