During President Bush’s visit to London he gave a wonderful speech where he touched on many important issues in today’s political scene. These issues include: Iraq, the global war on terrorism, the United Nations, the Middle East as a whole, and the ties and common values between the U.S. and Britain. It was a magnificent speech filled with insightful points and thoughtful expressions.
One attribute I admire about President Bush is his courage. President Bush knows that much of the world disagrees with his foreign policy, but he still understands that he must do what is right. He knows that we cannot live in a world where oppressive dictators answer to no one. The President mentioned in his speech that it’s not enough to meet the dangers of the world with resolutions; we must meet those dangers with resolve. If the American people are to live in a safer world, there must be courageous men like our President that are willing to stomp out evil. And that duty [to defend Americans] sometimes requires the violent restraint of violent men. In some cases, the measured use of force is all that protects us from the chaotic world ruled by force.
During President Bush’s speech, he spoke of the importance of spreading democracy. He even directly stated that if the greater Middle East joins the democratic revolution that has reached much of the world, the lives of millions in that region will be bettered, and a trend of conflict and fear will be ended at its source. I believe that this statement is extremely perceptive. If our goal is to one day achieve world peace, then our ticket to that world is democracy. The Middle East is where we must begin. We must end a cycle of dictatorship and radicalism that brings millions of people to misery. Wouldn’t the world be a better place with a democratic Middle East? Wouldn’t the citizens of the Middle East have a better life if they were free? Wouldn’t you feel safer living in that world?
There are those that argue that it is not our place to promote this democracy. They believe we should not impose our ideals on another society. To those skeptics: Freedom and democracy are not American virtues! Every person has an inherent right to be free. Free from tyranny and oppression. Free from brutal dictators that can kill and destroy with no consequences. As President Bush said, we cannot turn a blind eye to oppression just because the oppression is not in our backyard. No longer should we think tyranny is benign because it is temporarily convenient. Tyranny is never benign to its victims, and our great democracies [U.S. and U.K.] should oppose tyranny wherever it is found.
David Abroms can be contacted at DAbroms710@aol.com.