Last week I published an article in which I detailed my opposition to Trump’s retreat from Syria. In the article, I discussed what I believe are the core principles of foreign policy. In response, Shawn George commented in opposition. Here is his comment:
What exactly do you want the President to do about the Kurds’ and Hong Kong? Are you ready to commit troops to fight in Syria or the PLA? As someone who has spent most of his adult life, and who for the rest of my life, I will be dealing with a lot of pain. Not to mention that of my family, who has lost large amounts of time with me, as well as watching me deal with the ramifications of being one of the defenders of western values that you speak of, I would really like to know what you think the President should do? Are you willing to commit yourself, or a loved one to endure what you seem to be advocating? Because I’m done fighting other people’s battles, and I am not willing to sacrifice anyone else that I am close to for sentiments of others; especially those who have/have had any skin in the game.
To begin, I would like to sincerely thank Mr. George for his service to the nation. Any person who has sacrificed years of their life for their country deserve our eternal gratitude. This is especially true of those who have suffered due to their service, as Mr. George has.
That being said, I stand by what I wrote in the article. I want to take the time to respond to Mr. George’s concerns.
To answer the question he leads with; I would like the President to stand by our allies in Syria. The Kurds have always helped us, and we made commitments to protect them that we have now betrayed. We owe it to them to send troops back in before the Turkish armed forces slaughter them like animals. That means yes, I am willing to commit troops to fight in Syria.
Hong Kong is a different matter. I wish the President would stand up for freedom in a city under assault such as Hong Kong, instead of kowtowing to dictators like Xi Jingping. However, means other than military action best serve this desire. The geopolitical reality of the situation is such that a war with the PLA would be a catastrophe for the US. No, I would not send troops into Hong Kong.
To answer the important question of whether I would commit myself or a loved one to these wars….I honestly do not know. I have the fortunate distinction of being younger than 18, so I don’t have to worry about that for a few more months. But I do not know for sure how I would answer that question if the time came.
However, the more important question is how we defend ourselves and our values. That is why I advocate for robust engagement in the world. By serving in the US armed forces, you are committing yourself to defend both your homeland and the principles it espouses. This will lead you to places you may not think are necessary.
However, the fight against evil cannot be fought merely at home; the maxim that we fight ‘them’ over there, so we don’t have to fight ‘them’ over here, does ring true. By engaging threats overseas, we keep those threats off our own backyard.
Again, I say to Mr. George and other veterans reading this, thank you for your service, and as always, if you feel I miss the mark, please feel free to comment or write an article in response.
Scott Howard is a constitutionally-minded conservative freelance writer with a focus on fiscal matters and foreign policy. You can follow him on Twitter: Follow @thenextTedCruz
Editor’s note: When discussing any type of policy, especially ones that have grave impact, it is common to be confronted with the emotional responses of those whose lives have been impacted in a very real way by past policy decisions. Scott Howard does an excellent job of responding in a way that respects the very real experience of Shawn George, while calmly and rationally sticking to his beliefs and explaining why he does so.
The difficulty of forming realistic policy and of governing responsibly is having empathy for the opinions and perspectives of all citizens while maintaining the long view and bigger picture of overall general consequences. This is the lost art of statesmanship, and it is greatly needed in today’s discourse. -Justin