A quarter-century ago this month, East Germany’s communist leaders announced they were opening the Berlin Wall in an act that, as much as anything else during that momentous year, symbolized the Cold War’s end. The anniversary is timely, for it provides history lessons that seem particularly relevant at a time when America is re-thinking its …
Continue reading “3 Lessons From the Fall of the Berlin Wall”
In the matter of Ayaan Hirsi Ali Frederick Lawrence President Brandeis University Dear President Lawrence: I know that many critics have expressed outrage that you rescinded your invitation to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a courageous women’s rights crusader and critic of Islam, to receive an honorary degree at Brandeis University’s graduation this spring. I won’t badger …
Continue reading “Open Letter To Brandeis University President”
Let’s be clear: the United States cannot single-handedly ensure the advance of freedom and democracy around the world. But, notwithstanding all too much conventional wisdom of late, America retains enormous diplomatic, economic, and other capacities to influence the course of events. So, it’s no coincidence that, as Freedom House reported late last week, freedom declined …
Continue reading “Freedom’s decline and U.S. silence move in tandem”
Nearly a decade ago, President Bush provided important moral support to Ukraine’s “Orange Revolution,” criticizing the government after a fraudulent presidential election and pressuring officials to replace it with a fair one. President Obama, the quintessential anti-Bush, has generally eschewed the public promotion of human rights at moments of social ferment, believing the United States …
Continue reading “Washington reclaimed its voice at Kiev. Here’s hoping it doesn’t lose it again.”