America is an Ideal
Ideals are not ideas.
Thus, this July Fourth, I want us to remember America is an ideal, a great experiment in the concept of equality and the conception of liberty. For most of human history, mankind has gone through tremendous conflict and political instability to determine how we shall be governed. Democracy, human rights, due process, free speech, and our worldwide relative peace are anomalies in the arc of history. Without a champion or defender, ideals become merely ideas — conceptions or notions. Ideals on the other hand, are standards of perfection, excellence, the attempt to be as best as possible. Many times, we lived up to our ideals, many times we have fallen short, but our bar has always been high. We ought to condemn ourselves most not when we fail to clear to the bar, but when we fail to set one at all. And just like we commend the athlete for raising the bar and delight when he succeeds, we ought to commend ourselves when we succeed. However, when the athlete fails we do not exclaim that he set the standard too high. Instead we encourage him to get back up, try again, and reach for his best. Our record as the leader of the Free World is strong; we have more victories than losses. And the more other nations liberalize (not in the progressive sense, but in the democratic sense) the greater our security perimeter becomes. That is why the success of democracy abroad has always been an American objective. It is our “trademark” if you will. America Champions Liberty. Mostly. ™
If we truly tried to live up to our ideals, we would not be exiting Afghanistan like we are. By losing in Afghanistan, we are deserving of such condemnation; the bar was too high, too hard for us to clear. So to make ourselves feel better we are “leaving” and calling it a victory, but in reality, we have failed because we have chosen to fail. We are removing the bar. Using tropes like “endless war” President Biden attempts to convince us that giving up on the future of Afghanistan is just and good for America. Neither of which are true. President Trump did the same. But there is no such thing as “ending” a war. Wars are either won or lost. Thus we are losing the war in Afghanistan because we are choosing to lose the war in Afghanistan. Our exit is a dereliction of duty of the highest order to every American service member that has spilled blood securing the state against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The essential condition for victory is, and has always been, the construction of a government capable of maintaining order in Afghanistan.[1] This is mainly for our security, but it also serves a just and humanitarian means. When Presidents Trump and Biden decided to implement such policy, there is no doubt they received intelligence highlighting the security risks to our departure. We will be hit with another catastrophic terror attack. We will not live free of fear.[2] Give al-Qaeda room to fester and operate and they will come for us. I hope to God I am wrong and we can successfully keep them at bay with drone strikes. However, no argument screams “elitism” and “imperialism” more than America, the rich and powerful west, damning the Afghans to endless cycles of violence and lawlessness while we patrol their skies assassinating terrorists who threaten our security. That is the epitome of modern day imperialism. Thus, the establishment of a strong democratic government is not only good for our national security; it is the just approach for human rights. There are girls who will be forbidden to go to school once we leave. Translators will be killed, perhaps beheaded. The experiment of democracy in the Muslim world would be tarnished.[3] And much like when we left Iraq, a humanitarian catastrophe will unfold in South Asia.[4]I think we should give a damn about that. That is the justice in our plight. But, this argument is about America as an idealistic and pragmatic nation. We ought to stay in Afghanistan because of our security and because of the security of other human beings. And lest you argue that stabilization and democratization efforts in Kabul are imperialistic and ineffective, consider the alternative. Indeed, it is the counterterrorism approach that perpetuates a true unjust endless war, endless cycles of failed governance and war with no path forward to peace. By picking off terrorists from the sky, we are not actually pursuing victory and peace.
There is extraordinary historical precedence for our commitment to democracy abroad. Republican and democratic administrations alike have always aligned our American security and the success of democracy abroad. It will be an aberration for President Biden to do otherwise as it was for President Trump. And at home, our ideals created a gold-standard by which Americans across time have been challenged to live out the true meaning of our creed.
It was the basis for America’s founding and the conception of a radical truth “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”; it was the foundation for the elimination of slavery, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal… that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth;[5] ” it was a motivation for entering World War One, “The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty[6]”; it steeled the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy, “You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed people of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world[7]”; it was the truth that spread like fire during the March on Washington “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal” [8]; it inspired a New Generation of Americas, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, opposes any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty;”[9] it was the strongest protection against Communism “We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”[10] it laid a peaceful foundation upon which the world could live free of fear from nuclear war, “For over 40 years the United States led the West in the struggle against communism and the threat it posed to our most precious values. This struggle shaped the lives of all Americans. It forced all nations to live under the specter of nuclear destruction. That confrontation is now over. The nuclear threat, while far from gone, is receding. Eastern Europe is free. The Soviet Union itself is no more. This is a victory for democracy and freedom. It’s a victory for the moral force of our values… Our enemies have become our partners, committed to building democratic and civil societies. They ask for our support, and we will give it to them. We will do it because, as Americans, we can do no less. For our children, we must offer them the guarantee of a peaceful and prosperous future, a future grounded in a world built on strong democratic principles, free from the specter of global conflict.;”[11] it is our greatest strength “But our greatest strength is the power of our ideas, which are still new in many lands. Across the world, we see them embraced, and we rejoice. Our hopes, our hearts, our hands, are with those on every continent we are building democracy and freedom. Their cause is America’s cause;”[12] it brought resolve to the ruble of Ground Zero “This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before and will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world;”[13] and it brought justice against Osama bin Laden “That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens, our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place. Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”[14]
[1] Paul, Miller. American Power and World Order. Georgetown University Press. 2016. Pg. 186
[2] 2002 National Security Strategy.
[3] Paul, Miller. American Power and World Order. Georgetown University Press. 2016. Pg. 186
[4] Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Eric Schmitt. Security in Afghanistan Is Decaying, U.S. General Says as Forces Leave. New York Times. July 3, 2021
[5] Lincoln, Abraham. Gettysburg Address. November 19, 1963.
[6] Woodrow, Wilson. Declaration of War Speech. Library of Congress. April 2, 1917.
[7] Eisenhower, Dwight. Speech. June 6, 1944.
[8] King, Martin Luther. I Have a Dream. Speech. August 28, 1963.
[9] Kennedy, John F. Inaugural Address. January 20, 1961.
[10] Reagan, Ronald. Berlin Wall Speech. June 12, 1987.
[11] Bush, H.W. Address on Gorbachev Resignation. December 25, 1991.
[12] Clinton, William. Inaugural Address. January 20, 1993.
[13] Bush, George. Oval Office Address. September 11, 2001.
[14] Obama, Barrack. Address to the Nation. May 2, 2011.