An End to Tyranny

by Robert J. Romano

January 20th, 2005

Continuing his articulation of both the practical and moral dimensions of the spread of freedom and democracy globally, the President marked his Second Inaugural with the stirring declaration of America's founding principles.  He is able to understand the wisdom and rightness of America's mission to spread political liberty and the choice of self-government to peoples that have not known it, that freedom and independence is a requirement for security, and that self-determination does not mean to leave dictators to their own designs.  Freedom's expansion serves our vital interests as a nation, and upholds our greatest ideals.  As President Bush stated, "We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world... America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one..." This links both the traditional schools of realism and idealism, and certainly proclaims the idea that our safety and our freedom are inextricably linked.  Our security depends on our freedom and independence, our constitutional system of federalism, republicanism, limited government, and the rule of law.  Ultimately, our lives depend upon not only our belief in liberty, but in the practice of our liberty under law.  That freedom serves both the ideals and interests of the individual translates into the idea that freedom also serves both the ideals and interests of entire societies.

        This, on its face, requires an end to tyranny.  As the President stated, "From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time... So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world." This theme has very much defined not only his Presidency, but the history of our great nation.  The recent history of freedom has known great leaders, great Presidents: Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt, Kennedy, Reagan, and now, the current President Bush.  It is more than just these men that propel freedom.  It is more than just human nature to live in freedom, it is God's will, because it is right.

        The work of ending tyranny is not a partisan issue.  It can only be achieved in Union, and despite our political differences, one thing that all Americans should agree upon is that we all have the same rights under natural law.  Through all of our disagreements, this ought to be the one thing that unites us.  The only alternative to spreading freedom and democracy around the world is isolationism.  The fate of freedom hinges on the demise of the twin ideologies isolationism and defeatism here at home.  And whether or not freedom will long endure globally presently depends on the free world's ability to unite and defeat the twin dangers of tyranny and terrorism.  For, the isolationists would have us believe that ending tyranny abroad is not our duty, and the defeatists would tell us that terrorism is too difficult to eliminate.  Opposition for the sake of opposition against the spread of freedom and democracy is a sorry excuse for allowing peoples who yearn for freedom to suffer in the chains of slavery, and is a sound example of poor leadership.  The President, with his ambitious rhetoric, has plainly for the whole world to see reached out to his Democratic counterparts to join in this just cause.  For them to slap his hand away at this vital moment in freedom's history would be to turn away from the ideals and interests that unite us.  Staying freedom's course ought to be the one thing that is universally agreed upon.  It has been argued, in social contract theory, than any reasonable person would agree with the principles of natural law and individual rights.  Determining principles of national priorities is not an exercise of listening to the mob, for mob rule is a certain recipe for anarchy.  Rather, it is an exercise of reason.  Leadership means standing up for one's ideals, as the President today has demonstrated.  The case is being made that these are not just one man's nor one party's ideals, these are America's solemn beliefs and commitments.  The promise of liberty was a commitment made by our forefathers, and it is not for us to deviate from the path we are on.  There is no compromise which is necessary to uphold our dutiful obligations to defend and protect the march of freedom.  If the present minority party determines there to be some expedience in obstructing freedom's course, they will not be rewarded at the polls, and it will be history's resounding condemnation which shall unseat them in the future.  

        However, since freedom for all is a principle that I believe all reasonable people do believe in, and since it is eminently practical for the parties to unite on the issues of liberty's security and freedom's advance, this author believes in his heart that today the nation shall be united.  The alternatives of dividing this country against herself and defeatism in the service of expedience are unthinkable.  Ultimately, the success of freedom in this world for posterity will depend greatly on our ability to unite as a people around the principles which founded this great nation.  There is no turning back from the commitment of placing security higher than politics, because both those institutions depend greatly on the freedom and independence of the nation as a whole.  The people of America deserve that much, and a majority of them reelected the man whom believes that his most solemn duty is to protect the American people from dangers both foreign and domestic.  One deep wound that can be inflicted upon our great nation is to strike at the principled idea of natural rights.  The alternative of the spread of freedom and democracy servicing our nation's greatest interests is isolationism and the tyrannies that would expand as a result of that course and whose interests are served by the free world's inaction.  Those who demand that there be a counterpoint for its own sake would do well to consider that.

        The work of spreading freedom and democracy is not supposed to be easy, and it is not without sacrifice.  Those who bleed on the battlefields of liberty in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere today know this, and those who have paid the ultimate price are honored.   It is the mission of giving voice to peoples who believe they are not heard, and who believe that they suffer in silence that must succeed.  The war on tyranny and terrorism's outcome will not be certain, nor is it inevitable, without the choice of free peoples everywhere to defend their ways of life, each unique to their culture.  Tyranny is not a way of life, it is an imposition upon the free will of individuals.  Terrorism is not a way of life, it is the senseless murder of innocents in the service of fanaticism.  Defeating tyranny and terror around the entire world may very well be the greatest struggle we will have ever had to endure.  As President Bush stated on this historic day, "The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause..." We must appreciate the difficulty involved, and smile in the face of adversity as we move forward as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.