It was an awkward but inevitable consequence of the unconditional surrenders of Japan and Germany in 1945 that the USA emerged from WWII not only victorious but also as the leader of a vast global de facto empire.
That this empire was strictly de facto and not de jure was of little comfort to those embarrassed by the fact that possessing an empire was incompatible with our national political doctrine, something Pat Buchanan noted with some trepidation in his A Republic, Not An Empire.
The American Declaration of Independence was published on July 4, 1776, some 15 months after the shot heard round the world on April 19, 1775, at Lexington and Concord. This publication, following unsuccessful attempts at reconciliation with Britain, declared to the entire world the American Revolution’s goal and necessity, and in particular declared the American Doctrine of government.
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The American doctrine consists of the five central principles proclaimed to all the world in our Declaration of Independence:
1. All men are created (politically) equal.
2. All men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including (a) life, (b) liberty, and (c) the pursuit of happiness.
3. The purpose of government is to secure these rights.
4. Government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed.
5. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
These principles are inconsistent with an empire, and, indeed, America is not an imperialist power. To the contrary, the U.S. recognizes the human right of self-government, which means democracy. Democracy can exist in multiple forms, but the most time-tested, practical, and successful is a representative democracy, aka, a republic.
The Founders understood this. When Philadelphia socialite Elizabeth Willing Powel met Benjamin Franklin outside of Constitution Hall, she asked, “Well, Doctor, who have we got? A republic or a monarchy?” Franklin responded with both an assurance and a warning: “A republic, if you can keep it.”
We currently have four determined and capable enemies: China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, three of which claim some form of democratic governance but all of which are, practically speaking, totalitarian states that do not meet any of the principles the Declaration of Independence set out for good governance.
However, both China and Iran have repeatedly had courageous democratization movements bubble to the surface with demands for liberty.
In recognition of these people’s rights to self-government (and all people’s rights) as declared in the American Doctrine, America’s foreign policy should focus on assuring these brave dissenters that the USA wholly supports their quest for a genuine republic, rather than the faux representative “democracies” masquerading under the labels “The Peoples Republic of China” or the “Islamic Republic of Iran.”
These people deserve to be assured that their movement’s success will not force them into an American global empire. The opposite is true. It means erecting their own chosen form of republic, which will be honored and welcomed into the circle of free nations on Planet Earth.
This article was originally published at www.americanthinker.com
