Category: Citizenship/Politics

ARTICLE: Slow Fade or Renewal of Spirit?

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George W. Bush delivering speech at Spirit of Liberty Forum. Source: George W. Bush Institute.

 

By Erin Rodewald // October 25, 2017

(This article originally appeared in Providence magazine)

America in the 21st century is experiencing an identity crisis of sorts. The nation seems caught in a cultural maelstrom that is producing a crisis of confidence here at home. Free speech is disputed on college campuses, religious freedom is challenged in the courts, and the press is criticized for fabricating news to drive a particular political agenda. Our civic decency and national discourse have been compromised.

Meanwhile, economic, political, and national security concerns have sparked a renewed appetite among many Americans—private citizens and elected officials alike—to turn a collective gaze inward. An apparent downturn in what was once an enthusiastic embrace of the basic tenets of democracy and open markets may be jeopardizing what has been a robust and longstanding foreign policy engagement.

Is the liberal democratic order that has provided stability, prosperity, and freedom across the globe for the better part of 70 years in peril? Is America witnessing a slow fade of its core values, or is the country at a tipping point that will lead to a renewal of the spirit of liberty? Continue reading “ARTICLE: Slow Fade or Renewal of Spirit?”

ARTICLE: Can Sam Brownback Elevate Religious Freedom within U.S. Foreign Policy?

(This article originally appeared at The Philos Project)

Across the globe, assaults on religious freedom abound. Rohingya Muslims are fleeing brutal ethnic cleansing by the Burmese government. Years of war and genocide at the hands of ISIS have decimated the ancient Christian population in Iraq—from 1.5 million in 2003 to fewer than 250,000 today. Pakistani blasphemy laws threaten the lives and freedom of innocent religious minorities. In China, the government routinely shuts down underground churches. Saudi Arabian textbooks teach school children hate and intolerance toward the “unbeliever,” specifically Christians, Jews, Shiites, Sufis, Sunnis, Hindus, atheists and others.

In the United States of course, freedom of religion is the first freedom, enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution and foundational to the very origin and existence of the nation. It follows that religious freedom also would animate U.S. foreign policy—except oftentimes it does not.

“No administration has seen IRF policy as a national security imperative.”

Continue reading “ARTICLE: Can Sam Brownback Elevate Religious Freedom within U.S. Foreign Policy?”

ARTICLE: On Women’s Equality Day, a Nod to the Dual Importance of Equality and Freedom

In anticipation of Women’s Equality Day, a look at the treatment of women throughout the world, focusing on the nations of the Middle East.

(This article originally appeared in Philos Project)

Tomorrow, August 26, will mark the 44th observance of Women’s Equality Day in the United States. The day commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution – which granted women the right to vote – but also calls attention to ongoing disparities and continuing efforts toward full gender equality.

To be sure, the gender gap in this country is real. For example, women earn 80 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. And in 21st century corporate America, only a quarter of CEOs are women.

Still, American women have made important advances in the past 4 1/2 decades, excelling in all aspects of society, including business, academia, politics, athletics, medicine, law, journalism, the arts and the home. Some highlights include:

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BOOK REVIEW: In Defense of Democracy: Condoleezza Rice Explores the Long (and Worthy) Road to Freedom

In her new book, Democracy, Condoleezza Rice reminds us that “Freedom has not lost its appeal.”

(This article originally appeared at Philos Project)

Tomorrow, America will celebrate its 241st birthday. As in years past, July 4 festivities across the nation will stir our collective sense of patriotism. There will be parades and marching bands. Spectacular fireworks will light up the night sky from New York to Los Angeles. In towns and cities across the land, Old Glory will wave and remind us that because we are steeped in a tradition of democracy, we remain a country where all men are created equal – that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But the contentious political climate in America circa 2017, combined with an apparent upsurge in popularity of autocrats abroad – Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Egypt, to name a few – has many observers wondering if the American experiment has timed out. Could this generation be witness to the worldwide decline of democracy?

In her new book Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom, former U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice abjures the skeptics and dispels the myth that democracy is in retreat. On the contrary, she argued that democracy – while inherently flawed and always imperfect – remains the best means to promote peace and ensure human freedom, dignity and progress around the world.

Continue reading “BOOK REVIEW: In Defense of Democracy: Condoleezza Rice Explores the Long (and Worthy) Road to Freedom”

ARTICLE: The Roots of America’s Commitment to Religious Freedom

On President’s Day, a nod to our first president and the origins of America’s embrace of religious freedom.

(This article originally appeared in Medium for 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative)

On February 20, Americans pause to honor and remember our first president. A man of unmatched character and integrity, George Washington set the tone for the nation’s highest office; he set the bar high.

After leading the nascent country to victory over the British, Gen. Washington laid down all claims to political power. Then, upon his unanimous election as the country’s top executive, he rejected the moniker of king, instead embracing a new title — President. After concluding his second term in office, Washington again laid aside control to make way for the peaceful transfer of power, establishing a tradition that has distinguished America among nations for more than two centuries.

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ARTICLE: The State of U.S. Foreign Policy After Barack Obama

A two-part series on the state of U.S. foreign policy following eight perilous years of the Obama Doctrine.

obama-trumpBy Erin Rodewald // February 9, 2017

(This article originally appeared as a two-part series at The Philos Project, here and here)

What Leading from Behind has Left Behind in U.S. Foreign Policy

President Donald Trump was sworn into office a mere three weeks ago. Already, the fear of a new American isolationism, of retrenchment, and even the forfeiture of foremost leadership in world affairs has some longing for the “good old days” of the Obama Administration, when the U.S. seemed rooted in robust global engagement.

While it is still too early for a comprehensive retrospective on the Obama years, the basic principles that animated the Obama Doctrine are recognizable. Before a false nostalgia sets in, it would be prudent to make a clear-eyed examination of America’s foreign policy stature after eight years of “leading from behind.”

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ARTICLE: Brightening the Beacon of Light

Oppression is great in all corners of the world. At the core of such evil festers a deepening and deadly intolerance of religious freedom.

(This article originally appeared in the Washington Times)

It is Christmas week, and mankind is reminded of the promise of the gospel: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” This year, however, the darkness seems to have closed in. In Aleppo, the battered streets run with blood. Genocide has left Iraq’s ancient Christian community all but extinct. Nigeria is fractured along religious lines. Christians and other minorities in China are targeted for the gruesome practice of forced organ harvesting. Oppression is great in all corners of the world.

At the core of such evil festers a deepening and deadly intolerance of religious freedom. A staggering 75 percent of the world’s population lives in areas of severe religious persecution. To claim the promise of the gospel then, to pierce the darkness in these mean times, we must start by turning on the lights.

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ARTICLE: A Light in the Darkness

Passage of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act brings promise of hope to a darkening world

(This article originally appeared in The Philos Project)

It is difficult to see past the evil.

In the waning days of 2016, we are reminded of it on a daily basis, particularly (though not exclusively) the evil that is making headlines in the Middle East. Aleppo is drenched in blood. A Christian mother of five languishes in a dank Pakistani prison cell, charged with blasphemy and sentenced to death for drinking a glass of water. Lives have been shattered with the bombing of Egypt’s main Coptic Christian Cathedral during a packed worship service. Iraq’s ancient Christian community is all but extinct, ravaged by genocide and unspeakable atrocities.

Trace the roots of this evil and you will find at its core religious persecution–the attempt by a powerful few to crush the most sacred of human rights: the freedom of conscience. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, a staggering 75 percent of the world’s 7.2 billion humans live in areas of severe religious persecution. While the study revealed that the highest levels of social hostilities involving religion are found in the Middle East–where Christianity, Judaism and Islam originated–evidence of oppression in other corners of the world is all too prevalent.

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ARTICLE: The Art of the [Iran] Deal: Will Trump Abide or Abort the Agreement?

President-Elect Donald Trump has called the Iran Deal “disastrous” and “catastrophic,” yet his intentions about it remain unclear.

(This article originally appeared in The Philos Project)

There is no shortage of prognosticating attached to the forthcoming Trump administration. During the long election season, President-Elect Donald Trump was long on fiery rhetoric, but short on policy details, leaving observers uncertain as to how a President Trump would approach the highest job in the land. But then, that is the Trump way – keep ‘em guessing.

Will he actually build a wall? Will he blow up Obamacare? Is NATO truly on its last legs? Of the myriad foreign and domestic balls in the air between now and Jan. 20, perhaps the most supercharged international concern is the future of President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy initiative – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Trump has called the deal “disastrous” and “catastrophic,” yet his intentions about it remain unclear. In one major foreign policy speech earlier this year, he made two seemingly contradictory promises: to both dismantle the deal and enforce its terms.

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ARTICLE: In Search of Greener Pastures: A Comparison of Two-Party and Multiparty Political Systems

Election 2016 begs the question: Is a two-party system really the best option for American voters.

(This article originally appeared at The Philos Project)

After a grueling primary season, two nominating conventions, three debates and months of campaigning, the 2016 election season will conclude in less than two weeks. The process has been particularly divisive this cycle, leaving many voters weary and puzzled. While every election tends to ignite fresh probing into the whys and hows of the American electoral process, this year has invited much historic reflection.

Chief among the questions voters are pondering: How did we end up with two such flawed candidates? Has America’s two-party system failed the voters? Would the nation be better served by a multiparty system – such as that enjoyed by Israel – which affords greater selection and diversity of thought?

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