America, the exceptional
Vladimir Putin's open letter to America shocked or even upset some of my friends. It not only received quite a coverage in the media, but also managed to bring out some serious reflection on the state of things in the country, at least among the conservatives.
Many things may not be the way they should, but America is exceptional and Americans should always keep this in their minds even if their own president does not share this belief.
Many things may not be the way they should, but America is exceptional and Americans should always keep this in their minds even if their own president does not share this belief.
While my friends are still recovering from the shock, the Republican Senator Rand Paul responded publicly to Putin's letter. His response, however, received much less media coverage and I wish to share it here for all my readers on this September Sunday morning.
President Putin, America is Exceptional
by Senator Rand Paul
by Senator Rand Paul
A recent op-ed by Russian President Vladimir Putin has prompted me to
respond. While his position that the Syrian conflict can and should be
settled through a political and diplomatic solution is correct,
virtually everything else in his writing should be taken to task. So I
shall.
I begin with Mr. Putin’s disagreement regarding the exceptionalism of the United States of America. I could not more strongly disagree with him. While he is correct that God created every human being as an equal in His eyes, clearly the results of each of our efforts on this earth, individually and collectively, are not equal.
I begin with Mr. Putin’s disagreement regarding the exceptionalism of the United States of America. I could not more strongly disagree with him. While he is correct that God created every human being as an equal in His eyes, clearly the results of each of our efforts on this earth, individually and collectively, are not equal.
America’s exceptionalism is rooted in our founding documents and values.
From the rights granted by our creator, but guaranteed by our
Constitution. We should not shy away from saying so, especially when our
actions are in keeping with this exceptional founding, as they were
this week in our debate over going to war in Syria. Our constitutional
checks and balances were on full display, largely resulting in the at
least temporary halting of a rush to war.
Mr. Putin’s second mistake is to focus on the speck in the eye of the United States, while ignoring the plank in his own. He accuses the United States of alarming interventions in foreign countries. While I certainly have my bone to pick with our foreign policy over the last 15 years, the Russian President is the least qualified person I can think of to make this argument with a straight face.
We went to war in Afghanistan because they were harboring those who attacked us on 9/11. Mr. Putin’s cohorts went to war there three decades earlier for no legitimate reason.
The United States until now has resisted arming one side of the Syrian civil war – all the while the other side has been armed by Russia.
Mr. Putin’s second mistake is to focus on the speck in the eye of the United States, while ignoring the plank in his own. He accuses the United States of alarming interventions in foreign countries. While I certainly have my bone to pick with our foreign policy over the last 15 years, the Russian President is the least qualified person I can think of to make this argument with a straight face.
We went to war in Afghanistan because they were harboring those who attacked us on 9/11. Mr. Putin’s cohorts went to war there three decades earlier for no legitimate reason.
The United States until now has resisted arming one side of the Syrian civil war – all the while the other side has been armed by Russia.
The United States has used diplomatic pressure to attempt to resolve
the ongoing situation with Iran – Russia has just announced a large arms
sale that will escalate tensions in the region.
Being lectured to on foreign intervention by Mr. Putin would be
comical if it weren’t such a serious example of a lack of
self-awareness.
Nevertheless here we are. Sometimes the enemy of my enemy is my friend,
or at least my temporary ally. As Mr. Putin correctly pointed out, the
United States and Russia banded together to defeat the menace of the
Nazis a generation ago. And both countries certainly face real and
present threats from Islamic extremists, both at home and in areas of strategic importance.
American should not act militarily in Syria because it cannot and should
not join the same side as Al Qaeda. Russia cannot and should not
continue to support militarily the brutal Assad regime.
And so, the dialogue that began this week must go forward, and it must be given a chance to succeed.
The issue of course, is with the participants and the details of the
plan. Asking us to “trust them” is clearly not a palatable option, and
we cannot act naively simply to bypass war. Any diplomatic solution must
involve a clear plan to rid Syria of these weapons, with strong
verification and enforcement mechanisms. As Reagan used to put it, Trust
but Verify.
So while I welcome the engagement of the Russians, and the dialogue
Mr. Putin this week attempted to begin with our country, I remain to be
convinced of the details.
Article source TIME
Image source here
If you have not yet read Vladimir Putin's letter here is the link