The nation is not in terminal decline. U.S. foreign policy is not characterized by arrogance, and Vladimir Putin’s Russia will be contained in Eastern Europe. Christopher Caldwell, in a recent New York Times opinion piece, says that U.S. policy debates over Ukraine prove otherwise.
He is wrong.
U.S. policy regarding Ukraine is more about containing Russian aggression than it is about protecting the sovereignty of Ukraine. Whether or not Ukraine remains a fully sovereign state is not the defining problem. The problem is whether Putin’s losses in Ukraine will deter him from efforts to reclaim the countries of Eastern Europe that were once a part of the Soviet Union. On that, the United States and NATO will win. Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden have joined NATO.
Because of the invasion, Poland and the Baltic States are actively preparing for war against potential Russian aggression. Because of the invasion, the U.S. is forward-deploying military forces into the countries that border Russia. It is also a major policy triumph for the U.S. that countries of Western Europe are finally increasing their defense budgets after many years of passively relying on the shield of the U.S. military. Putin may gain some territory in Ukraine, but he will lose the larger struggle for dominance in Eastern Europe.
Caldwell’s argument that the U.S. is in terminal decline is highlighted by his focus on a new book by Emmanuel Todd. Todd’s book, The Defeat of the West, predicts U.S. decline by looking at such statistics as infant mortality and the failure to educate a sufficient number of engineers.
This is silliness.
The U.S. does have an infant mortality problem, but over the last 30 years, the U.S. has reduced the rate of infant mortality by more than 70%.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA
As for educating engineers, the U.S. remains the most attractive destination for the best and brightest technologists from around the world. It is no coincidence that 44% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children. And it is not by luck that 8 of 10 of the largest technology companies in the world are American. This nation dominates the high ground of the global economy, advanced technology. Equally important, while other countries are struggling with economic growth, the U.S. economy continues to power ahead.
Finally, U.S. foreign policy is not characterized by arrogance. It is characterized by reticence. The U.S. has learned the lessons of Vietnam, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The U.S. will only become involved in an international crisis when U.S. strategic interests are threatened.
James Rogan is a former U.S. foreign service officer who later worked in finance and law for 30 years. He writes a daily note.