Columnist Richard Fein: American Dilemma — When moral values and national interest collide

Richard Fein

Richard Fein FILE PHOTO

By RICHARD FEIN

Published: 10-22-2023 7:01 PM

A dilemma for U.S. foreign policy: When our democratic and humanistic values come into conflict with vital national interests (protection from military attack and protecting economic security) what is the best thing to do?

1. Diplomatic recognition of countries with monstrous governments.

The U.S. established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1933, 16 years after the Russian Revolution. According to the U.S. State Department historian, President Franklin Roosevelt “hoped that recognition of the Soviet Union would serve U.S. strategic interests by limiting Japanese expansionism in Asia, and ... would serve American commercial interests in the Soviet Union.” In addition the Soviet government promised “to refrain from interfering in U.S. domestic affairs,” (namely aiding the American Communist Party).

At the time the Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin, was the biggest mass murderer in European history. The Holodomor (a famine caused by Stalin resulting in the death by starvation of millions of Ukrainians) was in its final phases. Apparently the Holodomor and other Stalinist atrocities were not a decisive consideration in Roosevelt’s policy.

My opinion is that Roosevelt made the wrong decision based on the wrong values. The national interests as defined by Roosevelt did not reflect a need to protect national security or our economy. Any benefits from the recognition should not have outweighed the moral repugnance of the Soviet dictatorship.

2. Allies in war.

 

The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 and Germany’s declaration of war against the U.S. six months later established a different moral equation. Prior to that point, the Soviet Union had made a non-aggression pact with Germany in 1939 and invaded Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland before being invaded itself by Germany. Nevertheless allying with the Soviets was morally justified by our overwhelming national interest. The Soviet Union’s Red Army accounted for about 80% of the German soldiers killed by the Allies. This had a decisive impact on the outcome of WWII. Had it not been for the Soviet Union the U.S. might well have been confronted by a world dominated by Nazi Germany.

Another important ally was Great Britain. Seen with our contemporary eyes it was hardly a paragon of virtue because Britain ruled over the world’s largest colonial empire. That said, Great Britain stood virtually alone against Germany after the fall of France in 1940 and gave our country time to prepare if war came to the United States. In addition, allying with Britain and the Western European countries under German occupation was morally correct because they were democracies.

3. A current geo-political dilemma

The U.S. is trying to halt China’s expanding power through Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Two of our allies are India and Vietnam. Unfortunately India, once the world’s largest democracy, has become a less democratic under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Democracy Matrix ranks India’s democracy at 85th out of 176 countries. Freedom House rates India as only “partly free.”

In addition, Modi has embarked on policies that threaten India’s 200 million Muslims. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “ ... Modi has pursued a Hindu nationalist agenda since elected to power in 2014 ... The government has pushed ... policies ... that explicitly ignore Muslims’ rights and are intended to disenfranchise millions of Muslims ... violence against Muslims has become more common.”

Our country has some mixed history with Modi. He was Chief Minister of Gujarat during anti-Muslim riots in 2002. Because of his role in those riots the United States did not allow Modi into our country.

This year, however, Modi was invited to meet with President Joe Biden in the White House and addressed a Joint Session of Congress. Why the change? India with its population of 1.3 billion people and large army is seen as a strong counterweight to China’s expansion.

Vietnam is a communist dictatorship. Nevertheless President Biden visited Hanoi last month and had his photo taken with the General Secretary of the Communist Party in front of a statue to the late dictator Ho Chi Minh. The result of this meeting was the elevation of U.S.-Vietnam relations to a US-Vietnam “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.” Our country has been building its relationship with Vietnam because both countries feel threatened by China’s expanding power.

I believe that allying with the current governments in India and Vietnam is the right moral choice under the circumstances. Containing Chinese expansion is important to the security of our country and the democratic countries in Asia (e.g. Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan). That said, the photo of Biden shaking hands with Vietnam’s Communist Party leader while standing in front of the statue of a dictator that 58,000 Americans died fighting is repugnant.

This is how I resolve the moral dilemma: Democratic and humanistic value are important. However, when vital national interests are threatened the highest moral value is protecting our country and its citizens.

Richard Fein holds a master of arts degree in political science and an MBA in economics. He can be reached at columnist@gazettenet.com.