'States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.’
Once ridiculed as the oratory of
a simple mind, Bush’s warning has now arrived at hard fruition. For even as we debate
the policy prescriptions that defined his Presidency, Bush’s prognosis was
right. A new
alliance of totalitarians stands in contest with global security. And enthroned
on the bodies of the oppressed, the leaders of North Korea, Iran and the
successor to Saddam’s Iraq – Syria, are far more than adversaries of America, they’re
an axis against humanity.
Neglecting this truth, we’re
endangering the cause of peace.
Since 2009, the Obama Administration and its allies have embraced the belief that consistent engagement can positively
transform any adversary. After ten years of war, this is a tempting
understanding.
Tempting but misguided.
Consider the new axis against us.
In North Korea, we find the part-clown,
part-monster, Kim Jong-Un. Reinforced by decades of appeasement, Kim’s a trend
setter for nuclear extortion.
In face of his threats, the
United States faces a choice – to fold or to hold. The right answer is to
hold. After all, by starting a war, the North Korean elite know they would
lose both life and luxury.
Regrettably though, calls for negotiation are once again increasing.
This is an inexcusable neglect of history - compliance in the face of
intimidation only encourages greater hostility. If we want to change Kim’s
behavior, we must do so now.
Next there’s Syria.
Celebrated
by Vogue, blessed as a reformer
by Hillary Clinton and labeled the road to peace by Nancy Pelosi, for
over two years now, Assad has massacred his people. A rampage which reaches new levels each
passing month. Protected by Capo
Putin and supported by the faux liberators, Hezbollah, Assad clings to power. The Chinese don’t care, the EU is impotent
and we’re timid. We could provide select rebel groups with arms, but no, that
would be too complicated.
Instead, we offer red lines of a
thousand shades and equivocations of the highest order.
And the Syrian people hear our
message - Let them die.
Then there’s the final member of the
modern axis. Iran. Founded in the spirit of revolution, Iran’s
regime is now an unashamed terrorist state. At home and abroad,
the violent theocrats seek to spread their iron rule. We’ve acquiesced to their
campaigns of murder. In 2009, when Iranians rose to protest another stolen
election, President Obama stayed quiet. Why no condemnation? The White House
doesn’t like ‘meddling’.
Yes, the President has adopted aggressive
espionage efforts against Iran’s nuclear program. However, these actions
are disconnected from diplomatic endeavor. In negotiations with Iran, instead of
requiring compliance, the President has chosen to support the European position
of floating
appeasement. A flawed strategy for a gleeful Ayatollah.
Be under no illusions, if you think a nuclear North
Korea is bad, you’re not going to like a
nuclear Iran.
This begs the question, why has
our policy gone so wrong?
Pretty simple. Those who support
limitless negotiations mistake the axis rulers for semi-reasonable men. A terrible
error. These rulers are disinterested in honest relations. Just look at their myths
of self-identification. In North Korea, Iran and Syria, we have the absurd
union of communist orthodoxy, Shia fundamentalism and secular nepotism.
Ideologies with as much affinity as PETA and the Fur industry. And yet, they
stand together. The sustaining unifier? Their mutual desire for domination and
their shared hatred towards the common obstacle in that pursuit, America.
Power not autonomy, is their
unyielding end game.
So what should we do?
Clearly, none of us want war. But
our choice is not between appeasement and war. Courageous, principled diplomacy
can achieve the lasting security that we seek. We must not legitimate nuclear
blackmail. In the nuclear age, the threat of despotism is multiplied both in
reach and in magnitude. Here resides our challenge and our responsibility. Cognizant
in our greater strength, we must restrain those who chose intimidation as their
instrument of power.
If we don’t, our appeasement will
find it’s way to a bloody
end.
