America, more than any other nation, faces a particular moral tension in the conduct of its foreign policy. Ideals and realpolitik clash. The U.S. became the most powerful nation on Earth in part because it was founded on fundamental freedoms that are not only our birthright but also have the practical effect of unleashing human potential and creating wealth and power.
If we believe, as we say, that every person is endowed by their creator with inalienable rights, the U.S. cannot just defend them at home but must also stand for them and foster them abroad. Yet the projection of power for good also involves compromise, and that means forging alliances for particular ends. Sometimes such alliances — they cannot be friendships — are necessary with ugly regimes, even sanguinary tyrants.
Such is the case with Saudi Arabia, which is central to President Trump’s policy of containing rather than appeasing Iran in the Middle East. But Saudi Arabia is run by Mohammed bin Salman. The crown prince was initially touted as a modernizer and reformer, but that myth was exploded by persecutions and disappointments, capped by the cynical, brutal, and calculated murder of opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In this week’s issue of Washington Examiner magazine, Jamie Fly excoriates Trump for giving MBS nearly a free pass for his excesses. Fly urges the return of human rights to a central position in U.S. foreign policy. This is not just because it is the moral thing to do, but also because it would make Saudi Arabia a more reliable and effective ally.
Melissa Braunstein observes an epochal return of feminist Democratic politicians into the kitchen. These women are no longer contemptuous of baking cookies, as Hillary Clinton was. Far from it. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, all presidential wannabes, and the upstart socialist Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, are now keen to have the public see them preparing pies, black-eyed peas, and mac and cheese.
Anthony Marcum and Shoshana Weissmann expose the damage being inflicted on our precious freedoms by those who undermine judicial independence with accusations and expectations of partisan court rulings.
In the Life & Arts section, Washington Examiner columnists are crossing the Syrian desert, admiring nymphs and warriors, learning at last to be fans of a winning sports team, and appreciating rock gods who look at least obliquely at God.
Don’t forget the Your Land section for illumination of not-so-toxic masculinity, America’s falling birth rate, punching up and punching down, politics as root canal, and Trump’s 700-foot ice wall.
You will find plenty of compelling reading in all that!
