The Vision of Freedom at Stake in Ukraine

By Francis X. Suarez

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

 

Vitali Klitschko is a measured man. As mayor of Kyiv, he speaks plainly. Some time ago, we met as fellow mayors, where over two hours, he meticulously laid out the evidence, the record, and the scale of Russian atrocities against the people of Ukraine. His plea was direct: If we don’t stop Putin’s regime now, Russia and its allies in Beijing will continue to wage war against the free world — including even here in America.

 

As a Cuban American, I know firsthand about the tactics and methods of communist regimes. Vitali Klitschko’s description brought back a flood of memories. Members of my family were imprisoned, and died, in Castro’s jails. The tactics, the brutality, and the ideology of power were one and the same. They all were part of a broader resurgence of communist-inspired regimes that have extended their control. And we’ve seen Putin’s regime, with help from China, support spreading this same type of regime across our own hemisphere, from Cuba and Nicaragua to Venezuela, with others poised to follow. When we step back and connect the dots, we see a broader resurgence of communist-inspired regimes that have subverted the expansion of free societies, free markets, and free governments across the world. To borrow President Reagan’s imagery: While the evil empire may have fallen, its remnants are mounting a clear resurgence.

 

I’ve always viewed the Reagan administration as the gold standard of international leadership. I believe in smart power, moral clarity, diverse tools, and the restrained use of decisive force when needed. I don’t believe in the reflexive use of force, endless interventions, or endless wars without a coherent strategy or purpose. I believe in peace through strength.

 

But it doesn’t take a Harvard lawyer to see that the war in Ukraine is not a territorial dispute. It is a moral and geopolitical struggle between two visions of the world. Both are competing for our future. We see it play out now between NATO and Russia in Ukraine, and between the United States and China in the Pacific region. The first vision respects human rights and democracy; the second rejects it.

 

The first vision sees freedom as fundamental to a dynamic, prosperous, and thriving society. The second sees freedom as a threat, a curse, and a danger to elite power. The first vision expands human freedom. The second seeks to end it.

 

As Republicans, we have always been the party of freedom. We’ve always seen America as the “last best hope on earth,” and we’ve seen defending freedom as the best tool to protect it. Our party was founded on abolishing slavery and expelling imperial expansion from our continent. From William McKinley (and Teddy Roosevelt) in the Spanish-American War to Ronald Reagan in the Cold War, we’ve always measured our foreign policy by ensuring our national interests adhere to our moral values, with every policy being measured by that axiom. The false idea — the lie — that “if we leave them alone, they’ll leave us alone” is as naïve today as it was in the Second World War. We cannot shrug off or dismiss the actions of Russia or those regimes it has sponsored to harm our nation and its interests. Moreover, by defeating Putin’s regime in Ukraine, we can deter China’s attempt to invade Taiwan, and reverse the growth of similar regimes in our own hemisphere.

 

Republicans must ensure that the funding for Ukraine goes to fighting for Ukraine, not to special interests or partisan ones. Any funding must tie future investments with real reforms of NATO, ensuring that Europe will carry an equal share in funding and forces. Republicans must modernize our military and upgrade its levels of readiness while de-politicizing parts of the departments of Homeland Security and Defense. This will also require Americans — Democrats, Independents, and Republicans — to recommit to our values, our democracy, and our freedom to face our real adversaries in Moscow and Beijing, not other Americans. Supporting Ukraine means defeating all of America’s enemies, from the Crimea to Taiwan to Cuba, and to the misinformation bots in cyberspace.

 

This war is about more than just Ukraine. It is a war that is now local and global, hot and cold. It’s a war about the type of future we want for our children and ourselves. Standing up for freedom and democracy means more than just spending, sanctions, and spin. It takes courage and clarity. It means confronting those who have been waging a war against America and her allies for years. When confronting a regime of lies and violence, we arm ourselves with truth and courage. We must show, not just preach, the courage to be free.