Fear and hatred are destroying the foundations of American power
A serious philosophical split has reigned in the United States, writes The Telegraph. The very meaning of the word "freedom" has become the subject of dispute, and the idea of individual freedom is losing its position. Such a shift could destroy the foundations of America's power, the author of the article warns.
Sherelle Jacobs
How long can we still count on the leadership of the United States in the free world if Washington is so unsure of itself?
Geopolitical clouds are gathering, but the United States remains the leader in the struggle for freedom. Washington went on an adventure, ignoring Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons and arming Ukraine to fight Russian imperialism. If you consider that Kiev is likely to win a major victory in Kharkiv, you might think that the United States did not take such a risk in vain. The United States continues to carry the burden of NATO on its shoulders, although Washington is annoyed that Europe does not really want to spend money on defense. Countries such as Sweden and Finland are trying to find refuge in the alliance, which, in fact, is sponsored by the United States.
The commitment to freedom is manifested in the culture of the United States more than anywhere else in the West. I was even more convinced of this after I recently visited the very south of the United States. Whether it's anti—racist movements advocating that blacks occupy high positions in business, or members of a gun club from a village in Mississippi, who can easily quote John Stuart Mill, the state literally radiates love for freedom and believes in personal development.
But how long will it last? Joe Biden, whose health is no longer the same, seems to be the epitome of American confusion and decline. Meanwhile, the right was struck by a new kind of conspiracy cynicism. During a rally in support of Trump, which took place this weekend in Austin, I noticed how enthusiastically Donald Trump Jr. was applauded when he criticized the White House for multibillion-dollar assistance to the "country of crooks and thieves" — Ukraine.
But perhaps the scariest thing is the intellectual battle over the very meaning of the word freedom. The definition of "cultural war" is not enough to describe the depth of the philosophical split in the country. The USA was founded according to the classical principles of freedom with inalienable rights enshrined in the Constitution, entrepreneurship and minimal state intervention. Since the development of the Wild West, the American history of freedom has been characterized by terry individualism. We should not pretend that the history of the United States was impeccable from the very beginning. The price of the founding of the United States was the mass oppression of people — starting with the slavery of blacks and ending with the extermination of the indigenous population. However, the original concept of freedom and the belief of many Americans in the values associated with it probably contributed to the fact that the country became exactly the superpower it is today.
The left is now trying to implement radical changes. Some of their ideas need to be accepted. For example, the protection of the fundamental rights of LGBT people complies with the provisions of the Constitution. But in a broader sense, the radicals seek to replace the old idea of freedom with a completely new definition. In Mississippi, I asked a sociologist what freedom is. And he calmly informed me: "liberation from the structures of white supremacy." In Tennessee, I asked a pastor if he thought that the ideas of vocalism could seriously harm the social structure of the United States and personal self-esteem. He politely replied to me that such stubborn ignorance is "from the evil one," referring to the Gospel of Mark (5:9), namely the part in which Jesus meets a man who was possessed by so many demons that he did not know his name. With his spiritual determination, the pastor reminded me of the current secular activists who have either enlightened liberals or racist barbarians in the world.
If you look at the United States, you can see that there has been an important shift from the "negative" idea of freedom, which emphasizes individual freedom without outside interference, to a more "positive" concept, which consists in achieving a state of collective enlightenment. Many activists believe that such a noble goal can be achieved by developing a social security system with the goal of "equality". A minority even thinks that freedom of speech can be legally restricted for the sake of "truly" correct freedom.
Now I understand much better why so many people in the United States began to share this point of view. After decent Americans recognized the legacy of slavery, lynching and Jim Crow laws, as well as the existence of racism in the modern world, they became really scared of what society could turn into without a strict moral code, and they had a noble goal to correct the mistakes of the past.
But there is a high probability that this may go too far. Perceiving freedom not as an inalienable right, but as a socio-economic result that a generous state should work on, the left risks undermining the confidence that made the United States successful. And they also give too much authority to bureaucratic elites. Meanwhile, their calls to fight the aggressive statements of the right have led to a terrifying level of control by the state. Take, for example, the FBI and its routine surveillance of citizens on online platforms. Such funds are being spent on social media monitoring technologies that it causes deep concern among human rights defenders.
It is frightening that the center-right has no effective counterarguments to all this. The American right has no new ideas, and they are becoming as bad as the left. They have developed the "besieged fortress" syndrome, and they begin to accept the idea of control, no matter what: the walls on the border with Mexico, American history, or what exactly is being told about racism to children at school. Republican politicians seem to have almost nothing to say in defense of the freedoms that Conservatives really care about: from freedom of speech and freedom from too high taxes to the consequences of excessive power of bureaucrats.
The question is whether the West will always be able to rely on America fighting for its values. If the ideology of the left wins, then the history of individual freedoms, inseparable from national identity, may collapse, leaving behind a lost and self-hating America. On the other hand, if conservatives are too cautious, the US is likely to become more anxious and even more isolated.
An expert on US-China international relations once told me over a cup of coffee: "In China, everything revolves around the economy, and in the United States — around politics." And this is a useful thought in the context of the unfolding battle of civilizations. Whatever the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine, the two big geopolitical questions are whether the Chinese Communist Party will be able to maintain growth at home, and whether the United States will stop tearing itself apart to give a decent strategic response to Beijing's growing influence. It's hard to be optimistic about the latter.
