You are invited to read the latest commentary from the Free Enterprise Foundation. It will make you think!

We Know Not What We Do

“We owe it, therefore, to candor and to the amicable relations existing between the United States and those powers[Europe] to declare that we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety. With the existing colonies or dependencies of any European power we have not interfered and shall not interfere. But with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintain it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States.” (Seventh Report to Congress, 1823, James Monroe)

My younger son, (once a Marine, always a Marine) and his elder brother have been in particularly high dudgeon over the incursion of Russia into former Soviet Georgia and critical of their dad for not immediately siding with their wish that we assume a more belligerent posture than we have. From my last column, “Veritas,” I hope you understand I am far less than happy about it but angrier at us than at the Russians. The Russian incursion was born of their calculated conclusion as to their best interests and our abject weakness and stupidity in the management of our natural resources. In truth the best thing that can be said about the Russian incursion is that it is a wake up call that we dare not neglect. There is time to respond but that response to be sustainable must be felt urgently by all of us not just those of us who delve often into foreign policy studies.

Let’s have some candor here too. The Russians have a special relationship with the states it borders based upon hundreds of years of custom. Georgia, which has existed since the time of Christ as a separate state has for most of its history required alliances with Turkey’s predecessor, Russia or several of the smaller states it borders to maintain its integrity. It is the birthplace of Stalin and from 1921 until soon after the Soviet Union fell was part of the Soviet empire. Ok, we like democracies! Western style democracies are even better! What can be better than to have one run by a Western educated, friendly legal scholar who has created a state that closely models our democratic views and supports our free market practices?

From the Russian perspective a lot is wrong with it. It is developing into both a commercial success and democratic success which troubles the traditionally paranoiac Russian state which in the past has had reason to be suspicious. Overlooking the violence they have visited upon themselves, three times in the last two hundred years, invasions from Western Europe have killed millions of its citizens and destroyed its commercial viability for decades after. One can appreciate that The Russians might have the same reaction to our activity in Georgia as James Monroe, author of the famous doctrine partially reprinted above, had as to the covetous activity of several nineteenth century European powers towards our hemispheric neighbors. The Monroe Doctrine says to Europe, stay out of our hemisphere, and we will stay out of yours.

In an exception to our non involvement, to the relief of Russia and its allies, we have in the past, when our help has been desperately requested, answered its call. Its battle became ours. To Russia’s way of thinking, any particular involvement in this case, however, has an objectionable implication for the very way it runs its affairs, not to mention its ability to influence Georgia’s control of the Caspian to Turkey oil pipeline. Russia could not permit this threat to its influence over European consumers, frightened (and submissive) to it because of its control of a major portion of the energy Europe depends upon. Oil at its inflated value is the major source of the wealth flowing to its authoritarian state. Russia may not be communist, but it is far from democratic or truly free market friendly and has acted to protect its vital interests.

In our hemisphere we have our own reasons to carefully calibrate our response. There has been significant involvement in Cuba by the Russians who for years maintained an electronic intelligence eavesdropping facility now taken over by the Chinese. And who can forget the missile crisis of 1961? Recently there has been much speculation regarding Russian Backfire bomber training missions along our East Coast and even possible basing in Cuba of these same planes. Cuba has remained mum, and Russia is denying any such intent.

Going forward, we must remember Bismarck’s dictum that “States don’t have friends, they have only interests.” While Russia’s behavior has serious implications for our bilateral relations going forward, U.S. interests do not extend to the use of armed might in this instance unless the Cuba allegations prove to be true.

What can we do now? We can help defend those who have the means and the will to defend themselves. I applaud the Ukrainians standing firm with Georgia, and we should push NATO into including Ukraine in the alliance as soon as possible. Poland’s response also has been terrific, and they are no paper tiger if threatened by Russia. I applaud both them and us for quickly finalizing our tactical anti missile basing agreement for one installation of ten missiles. Longer term, Russia should be stripped of its attendance privileges at Group of Seven Meetings and further talk of its membership abandoned. There is hardly anything democratic or free about the way they operate or the operation of their market. I would also carefully review all our bilateral contacts to see which should be suspended.

The more important actions we must take have to do with strengthening our own economy and our ability to project force where our way of life is threatened. We stumbled badly here because of our weakness and must be focused on regaining our strength. I have written it so many times; I fear you will think me a broken record, but our economy’s dependence on foreign sources for energy must be ended as quickly as possible. No one other thing will restore our economy’s vitality and that of our trading partners faster. We must, to paraphrase the “Drill Now” folks, “Do It All Now! Do It All Here! And Pay Less! There is real cost for energy, but market price contains a substantial subjective element. The demonstration of our grit and determination will roll back the cost well in advance of the kilowatts spreading through the grid.

Other recommendations for action can be found in my earlier columns in The Mercury or on our website listed in the footnote, but let me say this; while we are the most fortunate people on the planet, we have lost our focus and begun chasing butterflies. We do not know what we are doing. We have lost the thread of the world that is and must regain our perspective. We can again be the best friend of impoverished and oppressed peoples around the globe, but not unless we first cure ourselves. We cannot help them unless we restore both our economic and military muscle.

Maintaining our strength as a nation requires that we be self reliant. We must be that nation that carved a nation out of a wilderness, that nation that by adherence to respect for free market and Judaeo Christian values of honest work for an honest dollar allowed us to thrive from coast to coast and be respected around the world. As Ronald Reagan urged that we trust but verify, I urge that we give, but first make our strength unassailable. Growth and development can live with environment viability. Remember, the Lord gave this planet for mankind to use, not us for the planet to use up. Mankind’s needs must prevail. We must strengthen our neighbors as well. “Lake Atlantic” remains our best friend only so long as our neighbors in the Caribbean and our hemispheric neighbors to the South are assisted to thrive and develop as well.

Copyright © 2008 by Robert E. Freer, Jr. All rights reserved

About the author: Robert E. Freer, Jr. is President of The Free Enterprise Foundation. He is a Visiting Professor, at The Citadel and elected in 2005 to be their first John S. Grinalds Leader in Residence. A regular contributor to the Mercury, He can be reached by E-mail at The Citadel . Copies of his earlier columns can be found The Free Enterprise Foundation.

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