OPINION:
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During World War I, my grandfather served in the Navy, and his brother served in the Army. I never met my great-uncle, who died in his 40s as a result of being exposed to poison gas on the front. And my grandfather, like so many in my family who fought in World War II and Korea, had no interest in sharing his wartime experiences. They all wanted to live out their days, as the French philosopher Voltaire wrote, “cultivating their own garden.”
Among the 40 million military and civilian deaths in WWI, over 115,000 Americans were killed. In addition, 200,000 or more were wounded. At first, both sides expected a quick victory, but the war carried on with horrific carnage and unprecedented brutality.
After the “war to end all wars,” the majority of Americans understandably wanted to be left alone. In the interwar period, the U.S. pursued a policy of isolation from the diplomatic affairs of other nations while striving for economic self-sufficiency.
Benefiting from geographic separation from Asia and Europe and blessed with benign neighbors to the north and south, the U.S. enjoyed two decades of relative peace after the conflict — until Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler’s subsequent declaration of war.
Today’s mood in America is reminiscent of that interwar period. After spilling so much blood and treasure in the “forever wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq, many Americans understandably want to avoid becoming entangled once again in world affairs. Two great oceans still protect us. Our powerful and supremely dedicated military, intelligence community and law enforcement professionals are exceptionally effective at keeping us safe.
But just as in the 1920s and 1930s, storm clouds have gathered on the horizon.
This century’s axis of tyranny — China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — wants to divide the world into spheres of influence that they can control. They may be long-term strategic rivals among themselves, but today, they support one another with military equipment, diplomatic top cover and a robust exchange of intelligence on their adversaries, principally the U.S. They seek to dominate and, when deterrence fails, attack vulnerable neighboring states with an eye toward dominating the global economy.
That’s why China is militarizing and laying claim to the South China Sea, through which $3 trillion worth of global commercial goods pass each year. Iran is using its Houthi terrorist proxies in Yemen to undermine freedom of navigation through the Red Sea, which accounts for 10% of world trade.
So, let’s start being intellectually honest with ourselves and seeing the world as it is rather than how we wish it were. We are facing more significant threats to U.S. national security than ever. We ignore them at our own peril.
We’ve learned that failed efforts at nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan were the equivalent of a black hole for our limited staff and budgetary resources. We should focus on realistic objectives ruthlessly in line with our national security interests, such as supporting our allies when they fight terrorists, deter aggressors, defend free trade and punish barbaric military aggression such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
And we and our NATO partners should enable and leverage allies around the world as “force multipliers” to deter emerging security threats, making it clear to would-be aggressors that they would pay too high a price if they attacked.
Our country is a beacon of democracy, the most reliable and valued partner in both international trade and security. The alliance of tyrants has us in their crosshairs because nothing scares Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and their cronies more than those who stand up for the principles of liberty, democracy and freedom.
Many nations share our commitment to free trade and internationally respected borders, but without our leadership and commitment to defend our common values, those allies will be no match against dictators who seek to do us harm.
Winston Churchill, who united Britain and the West in a common cause against dictators, would undoubtedly be ringing alarm bells in Trafalgar Square over this new, 21st-century threat to liberty, the defense of which requires deterring and defending against dictatorships.
Never hesitant to tell the unpopular truth, it was Churchill who recognized that trying to appease the dictators never works: “Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their time comes to be devoured. But … the storm will not pass. It will rage, and it will roar, ever more loudly, ever more widely.”
• Daniel N. Hoffman is a retired clandestine services officer and former chief of station with the Central Intelligence Agency. His combined 30 years of government service included high-level overseas and domestic positions at the CIA. He has been a Fox News contributor since May 2018. Follow him on X @DanielHoffmanDC.
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