Peace through Strength

In the 1980’s, President Ronald Wilson Reagan began rebuilding the U.S. military and refocusing the nation’s foreign policy on winning the Cold War. Reagan’s predecessor, James Earl Carter, the 39th President of the United States, had left the nation’s economy, fiscal policy, foreign policy and military in shambles.
President Carter also undermined U.S. relations with the Shah of Iran. Carter’s fool hearty foreign policy created a leadership vacuum in Iran. As a result, the Ayatollah Khomeini assumed power to fill that vacuum. The dictator Khomeini transformed Iran into a beachhead for the spread of militant Islam.
Through conviction, persistence and just the right amount of rugged individualism, Ronald Reagan reversed the anemic policies of Jimmy Carter. Better still, Reagan placed the U.S.A. in a position of economic and military strength it had not seen since the end of WW II.
Critics said Reagan’s ideas would never work. In fact, the critics of President Reagan’s Cold War policy asserted that Reagan would thrust the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union into a war with each other. As we know now, the critics were wrong and Reagan was right.
After years of an American foreign policy based on appeasement, which led to a complete capitulation of our nation’s armed forces, Reagan took the bull by the horns and won the Cold War. He showed the world that peace could only come through strength - a strength and resolve demonstrated by a fierce military and an effective foreign policy.
Reagan’s Cold War policy did not go over well in Washington, nor in the national media. Even Reagan’s own advisors were skeptical of his efforts. Yet, almost as soon as Reagan left the White House, the Berlin Wall fell and with it the “Evil Empire”, that was known as the Soviet Union.
In WW II, peace was obtained through strength when the United States defeated Hitler’s Nazi war machine. Peace was obtained when the United States defeated Mussolini’s Fascist agenda and Emperor Hirohito’s Imperialist Empire.
In the 1980’s, with Reagan at the helm, the United States triumphed over Marxism led by a peace through strength policy. The Great Communicator, as Reagan was called, became the Great Liberator.
Today we face a new war, one being waged in the name of terrorism. Just as the Japanese Kamikaze pilots of WW II were willing to kill themselves in order to destroy their enemies, suicide bombers in the Middle East today kill themselves by exploding bombs wrapped around their chests.
Like the Kamikaze of yesterday, the Islamic militant is promised a better world in the next life if he only kills himself while killing his perceived enemy (i.e. American soldiers, Israeli citizens, etc.).
The Islamic militant, just like the Kamikaze pilot, is promised honor and utopia, not for the way he lives his life, but for the way he ends his life.
This kind of madness cannot be reasoned away by peace talks. No peace summit or United Nations resolution can change this pathologically fanatical mindset of suicide/murder equals utopia. Such a fanaticism can only be defeated when a greater force of strength overwhelms and eliminates that fanaticism.
Enter George W. Bush. Forging ahead while the same media elite that called Reagan a fool, now calls George W. Bush a fool, this President knows that peace can only be achieved through strength.
In a post 9/11/01 world, George W. Bush has embraced the successful policies of Ronald Reagan. In so doing, President Bush has taken the war to the fanatics before the fanatics can take the war to us again.
The results of President Bush’s policies are too overwhelming to deny. The most left wing members of the Congress and the media are now admitting Bush was right to go into Iraq.
Recently, Senators Ted Kennedy and Frank Lautenberg praised Bush for his Iraq success, demonstrated by the January elections there.
Let’s consider some of the results of Bush’s Afghanistan and Iraqi successes.
Libya’s dictator, Moammar Ghaddaffi, has offered to give up his Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Egypt has agreed to allow elections for their President. This is an amazing development when you consider that Egypt’s current President, Hosni Mubarak, has ruled that nation with an iron fist for more than twenty years.
Saudi Arabia has agreed to remove the Islamic militant propaganda from their school textbooks. An example of such propaganda found in Saudi textbooks is the very common teaching that Jews are supposedly the descendants of apes and dogs.
The Syrian government has announced it will gradually leave Lebanon and eventually no longer occupy that country.
This last development is the one to watch in the months and years to come. Syria does not want to exit Lebanon any time soon.
One reason for the Syrian occupation of Lebanon is Syria’s lack of a functional industry. Due to western influence in Lebanon prior to the Syrian occupation, the Lebanese industrial complex is far superior to Syria’s.
Another reason for Syria’s reluctance to leave Lebanon is the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah is a militant Islamic, terrorist organization whose headquarters are in Damascus, Syria.
By the way, Hezbollah receives its funding and marching orders from Iran. If Jimmy Carter had not undermined the Shah of Iran, Iran would still be a Pro-Western nation today. That means Hezbollah would have little to no power today. Weakness always fuels the fire of Arab hatred. Strength puts the fire out.
As it stands today, Hezbollah controls the border region where three countries meet: Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Armed with missiles aimed at Israel, Hezbollah will no doubt become the new focus of the Bush foreign policy strategy. As long as Hezbollah occupies the very volatile region where Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet, peace will still be beyond reach.
President Bush’s peace through strength policy is going to rattle a few cages in the Middle East. Reagan’s policies rattled a few cages too. In the end, it was Reagan’s cage rattling that liberated Eastern Europe. President Bush’s cage rattling will do the same in the Middle East.
Just as in the past, when the United States saw victory only when it stood tall and refused the policy of appeasement, President Bush is poised to become the next Great Liberator. In doing so, President Bush will bring liberty to the Middle East. We know this because history tells us so.
Peace only comes through strength.