Russia

President Roosevelt first enunciated the Four Freedoms in an evening session with his speechwriters. He made them the peroration of his message to Congress and wove them into the Atlantic Charter and the United Nations Charter. They have constituted the basis of American foreign policy ever since. Now is the time to reaffirm them.

How do Christian Realism, Christian idealism and Christian cynicism approach the Ukraine War?

To prevent wars from spiraling out of control, an off-ramp is essential. Allowing Vladimir Putin to save face can save lives.

Russia’s unwarranted aggression toward Ukraine has not only shattered the peace of Europe and unleashed a torrent of economic and physical destruction, but it has also thrown into stark relief the moral chasm between Russia and its rivals. As Putin dismembers Ukraine, he shows the importance and value of America’s empire of nations.

It is not a question of if, but when global unity will soften and former die-hard supporters of the Ukrainian cause will slink away. We should be realistic about that eventuality. If we are, we can ask about what kind of Ukraine, what kind of Europe, we want to see.

Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement to place his nation’s nuclear deterrent forces on a state of heightened alert invites those of us in the free world—and surely the United States—to revisit the just war assumptions that served as a deterrence during the Cold War.

This week Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro spoke about neutrality but clearly sided with Vladimir Putin by repeating Russian propaganda.

We are told that a policy of firmness must inevitably lead to war, while conciliation could guarantee peace. In the Nazi days this was called appeasement.

The present need is to deter China and Russia. This is why a “cold war” and a “just war” response is necessary.