“Out with utopian idealism; in with hardnosed realism.” “National Defense Strategy”, Department of War, 2026.
The above statement, from the National Defense Strategy 2026 document, was produced by the now appropriately labeled Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense).
The statement pretty much sums up the entire document, illustrated by the following statement, also from the same National Defense Strategy document.
“We will engage in good faith with our neighbors, from Canada to our partners in Central and South America, but we will ensure that they respect and do their part to defend our shared interests. And where they do not, we will stand ready to take focused, decisive action that concretely advances U.S. interests. This is the Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and America’s military stands ready to enforce it with speed, power, and precision, as the world saw in Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE.”
Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE is the January 3, U.S. military operation against Venezuela.
This statement reflects the “hardnosed realism” referenced in the first quote, and gives us a clearer definition of the Administration’s “peace through strength” mantra which would be better phrased as “peace through the threat of military attack by the most powerful military machine on the planet”
The document reflects a broader cynicism of the potential for humankind. We are reduced to self-seeking, competitive, carnivores, unable to rise spiritually to higher place– a place where cooperation overrules competition, empathy over ego, and where communal welfare achieves a much higher status in our hierarchy of values.
All major religions endorse the idea that we can rise above our bestial beginnings–but we have lost faith. So we resign ourselves to a world where “might makes right”, where genocide becomes acceptable political practice, and where poverty and despair are mere headline news items.
We do this out of fear. Fear–the opposite of faith, dominates our thoughts when thinking about global competitors. Our economic and ideological competitors are painted as evil and incapable of redemption. But surely there are fairly equal doses of good and evil in all nations?
We choose our direction: We can continue the path of cynicism, greed, violence, and general obsessive self-interest, all the way to our nuclear demise; or we can exercise faith: believe in goodness which exist in all peoples’, including ourselves, and move away from hardnose realism which leads to our demise, towards the “utopian idealism” which, to the extent it has existed, has probably saved us so far.
This is not to say the U.S. should disarm and rely on the mercy of our competitors. It is to say, the U.S. should commit to negotiation with our competitors, with words, not weapons. It is a moral position. This will enable like-minded peacemakers in China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Colombia… to do likewise, while moving to the forefront of political dialogue within their own nations.
The current path leads only to war. We move towards hell, rather than heaven, due to our lack of faith in the goodness, which exists side-by-side with the forces of violence, in all nations. It is a space we want to enlarge. It is in the space of fear, where much evil is committed, as opposed to the good we are called to do.
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