The Fallen West

Perhaps we should have seen it coming, perhaps it was glaringly obvious years ago. When President Obama drew fanciful red lines in the sand during the Syrian conflict, the world waited to see how the Leader of the Free World would respond to any breach. Lo and behold, Syrian troops shattered the red line and continued to employ poison gas against civilian targets. President Obama, when faced with his own promises, backed down and acquiesced to Russian demands. Instead of standing up for American principles and human rights, President Obama handed over control of the Syrian conflict to devious puppet master in Moscow.

As Syria burned, President Putin saw the ineptitude of the American political system and schemed. No longer was the United States a force to be reckoned with. No, instead this once shining beacon on a hill had dimmed beyond recognition. And he acted, and Russian forces seized the Crimea and fomented a civil conflict that festered in Eastern Ukraine for years.

And despite this blatant aggression, America stood impotent and did nothing. When Russian backed separatists shot down a civilian airliner in Ukraine, the Americans did nothing. While civilians were gunned down during the strife on the ground, President Obama and his administration simply made lackluster statements. And the rot within American exceptionalism continued.

It is of little surprise, then, that President Putin decided to strike Ukraine once again while President Biden watches on from the White House. President Biden was a feckless and ineffective Vice President during Russia’s earlier Ukraine expeditions, and the Biden administration is rife with the same failed bureaucrats that designed President Obama’s nightmarish foreign policy. And when confronted with the heart wrenching scenes unfolding in the Ukraine today, President Biden is once again standing by as the world burns. While schools, theaters, and markets are being bombed, the Biden administration refuses to fully arm the Ukrainian people. While American citizens are kidnapped and reporters are assaulted by Russian troops, President Biden focuses on ways not to offend President Putin. Instead of showing the tyrant the full resolve and strength of the democratic West, the United States has showed the world how weak the democratic powers have become.

While the disaster continues to unfold in Ukraine, the Biden administration is rushing headlong into another Iranian nuclear deal. Mind you, the architects concede that this deal will not prevent Iran from obtaining weapons of mass destruction in the long term. No, instead this is a short-term fix that will give the West nothing and flood Iran with money and power. A ridiculous and nonsensical plan, just as its predecessor was. But America lacks true leadership, and instead has created a bungling foreign policy in the hopes of winning ‘peace in our time’ photo opportunities while realities on the ground show nothing but disaster and mayhem.

America will not come to Israel’s aid if a conflict with Iran breaks out. The same politicians fearful of Moscow will find any excuse to not help Israel if missiles fall on Tel Aviv and Haifa. The same is true with Taiwan. American politicians and companies have become sick bedfellows with the kleptocrats in Beijing, and it is highly unlikely they will put their personal funds on the line if Beijing strikes out at Taipei. Thus totalitarianism will win the day once more. And when the looming threat of China seeks to take the Senkaku islands from Japan, the West will once again turn the other cheek. It appears that the 21st century will be marked by the decline of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism.

It is therefore imperative that American allies start to rearm themselves and prepare for the worst, since we can all now clearly see the ineptitude of American leadership when confronted with totalitarian aggression. Gone are the days when the West stoop up and fought back. Gone are the hopes of defeating totalitarianism. Instead of leaders, we are left with career politicians drowning in ill-gotten gains and foolhardy notions; politicians who lack the internal fortitude to confront the totalitarian ambitions of Russia, China, and Iran. Instead of standing up for principles and dignity, these leaders rush to appease the enemies of the free world and reward them time and again. The West has become a shadow of its former self, and the world order that has brought us so much privilege, comfort, and peace will surely suffer for it.