China poses a deliberate, existential threat to the U.S.-led international order. And the defense of that order requires resisting those who threaten it.
So why is Harvard University embracing the demise of the U.S.-led international order as a cause for its graduates?
I ask this because Harvard has chosen German Chancellor Angela Merkel as 2019 commencement speaker this week. Merkel was in partisan form, rebuking President Trump’s Mexico border wall by calling on graduates to “tear down walls of ignorance.” The implication: graduates must stand for a more liberal order.
Well, okay. But Merkel is a very poor messenger for that order. For one thing, she continues to shrug off her obligation to provide the military power needed to defend democracy. Germany’s military readiness is now a money-starved joke. Germany lacks basic combined arms capability and often refuses to deploy its forces in even basic NATO deterrent operations. NATO’s secretary general begs Merkel to do more, but she won’t. Instead, the German leader plays nice with Vladimir Putin’s energy blackmail politics.
Russian air-defense-enveloped armored columns and Chinese warships/stand-off missiles are not going to be deterred by inspiring words. Without the military strength to resist, the international order will be forced to yield to the whims of tyrants.
Merkel, in short, is as useful a spokeswoman for the liberal international order as President Trump is a spokesman for civility.
But perhaps Merkel is actually a good fit for Harvard. After all, when one thinks about the once-great institution’s ongoing deference to Beijing, a concerning trend emerges.
Regardless, Harvard should correct its error next year by choosing Jim Mattis as its next commencement speaker.
