In the midst of the Vietnam War and the struggle for civil rights and a decade scarred by assassinations, Apollo 11 reminded the world—and the American people—that America, while imperfect, is a great and good nation that can do great and good things.

It’s worth noting here that the “anachronistic” system the Founding Fathers crafted in the eighteenth century—based on the will and procedures of semi-sovereign states—serves as an extra layer of protection against twenty-first-century threats.

This is no time to shut down the furnace that fires the arsenal of democracy. Civilization still needs America’s military, which means America’s military needs resources, which means America needs a growing economy. That won’t be possible if Americans turn toward socialism.

If we cannot agree on what is true and where to find the truth—even on whether there’s such a thing as truth—how can we develop, build support for, and carry out policies that defend our nation and deter our enemies?

When the forces of tyranny were far stronger and the world’s roster of democracies far smaller, President Reagan argued that “we must take actions to assist the campaign for democracy.” America took those actions in the twentieth century; it should do no less in the twenty-first.

When it comes to democracy promotion, it seems the Obama-Trump era is the aberration.

This retreat of democracy and free government represents a challenge—and a threat—to America.

Helping nations in need often serves America’s most important interests while burnishing America’s highest ideals.

The downward trend in foreign aid spending by the US government is not a function of the American people losing interest in foreign aid. After all, it has never been popular. More likely, it’s a function of presidents no longer defending foreign aid, explaining it, or connecting it to the national interest.