Members and Friends:

The mission of the Foundation is to defend and expand the basic rights of Western civilization which we believe are inherent for every individual. These basic rights, including the right to life itself, are an anathema to totalitarian regimes. This has proven again to be the case in 2019, but with one hopeful exception that confirms the values we cherish.

Hong Kong – Yearning to Protect Its Freedoms

Freedom loving people everywhere owe a large debt of gratitude to the brave citizens of Hong Kong who last April began a series of peaceful demonstrations initially demanding freedom from extradition of suspects to be handed over for trial in courts in Mainland China. The new law proposed by the city government under Chief Executive Carrie Lam was in contradiction to the rights set forth in the treaty of 1997 by which the British Colony would become a part of China in fifty years.

Apparently Chinese President Xi Jinping had no intention of waiting that long and began a program to increase its control over Hong Kong’s citizenry. The proposed extradition law was the first of these measures which incited the first peaceful street protests by Chinese students. The protests continued and grew in intensity and were supported of many established citizens. The millions of demonstrators taking to the streets finally had some effect, and Carrie Lam retracted, but not finally withdraw, the hated extradition proposal but did not meet other demands.

Peaceful protests by millions of citizens of a world class city has to be an embarrassment to Xi Jinping, who’s often stated objective is to re-establish the glory days of the Chinese Empire, i.e. “Make China Great Again”.

In many ways China has already achieved that goal, developing the second largest economy in the world over the course of some twenty years. With a population of 1.4 billion vs. the US population of 330 million, this would appear inevitable. The speed of this accomplishment is largely attributed to the adoption of a modified western capitalism, development or theft of intellectual property and a very hard-working people under an autocratic government.

As described by Yan Xuetong,[1] this “vision of a world order draws upon ancient Chinese philosophical traditions and theories…called Wangdau, or humane authority. The word represents a view of China as a benevolent hegemon whose power and legitimacy derive from its ability to fill other countries’ security and economic needs in exchange for their acquiescence to Chinese leadership.” We have heard the term “New World Order” before and it has an ominous intent.

This Oriental philosophy is reflected by the actions of the Chinese Communist Party since it took power in 1921 and confirmed in 1949 when it sent massive military support to the North Korean government which ended in dividing the country. The Chinese government has been an adversary ever since and often has pursued expansion through brutal means (e.g.  the Tibet and Xinjaing Autonomous Regions).

However, Wangdau is certainly not the philosophy of all Indo-Pacific countries. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore all have largely Oriental populations that have become vibrant democracies. The other major Indo-Pacific countries, India, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand were all formerly part of the British Empire and Malaysia, the Philippines and the Southeast Asia group were at one time European or American colonies. Each of these countries, to a greater or lesser extent, have adopted Western style governments and legal systems. These are part of the core values cherished by the “liberal-Atlanticist” foreign policy proponents. English is the second language of most of these countries and the common language for business.

The situation in Hong Kong is not yet resolved and the government of Xi Jinping has a made closer integration of Hong Kong and unity with Taiwan a key part of his Chinese dream. His dream is not shared by those who would lose their freedoms as a part of the high-tech police state that is now being created in Mainland China.

The western world, while welcoming China’s acknowledged contributions towards achieving higher standards of living for millions of people, should continue to support all those who seek freedom from autocratic rule. Perhaps the Norwegians should consider awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to the citizens of Hong Kong.

The Foundation for International Freedom supports these efforts.

The recent blockage the bridge at the Colombian border to prevent humanitarian relief supplies from entering Venezuela is just further evidence that that Nicholas Maduro has no intention to resign the presidency of Venezuela. Pursuant to the Venezuelan constitution, Juan Guaido has become the legitimate president as recognized by the US, Canada, all of the major countries of South America and many others.

The essay that I wrote which led to the organization of FIF in 2008 was called “Simple Solutions to Complex Problems”. It was intended to focus attention on international issues that are indeed complex, but usually could be “managed” but not “solved”. Immigration is such a situation. It is an ongoing worldwide phenomenon which benefits both the individuals migrating and also their destination country. Uncontrolled immigration can create huge problems such as the Syrian refugees fleeing to Europe.
For the destination countries, the first step in managing a situation is to define the objectives that the governments wish to achieve. This is the problem…there is generally not a consensus on the objectives. Governments first should answer these questions:

There has been much discussion recently about the need for the President to be able to communicate directly and privately with the heads of state of foreign governments. The reason generally given is to allow the President develop personal relationships and possibly prevent catastrophic conflicts. It is the ultimate power.

However, the downside of such direct contact is that a President can be persuaded to take unilateral decisions that are beneficial to our adversaries if the unintended consequences not carefully thought through. This seems to be the case on Sunday when President Trump in a telephone call with Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, committed to draw down the American forces new serving in the autonomous Kurdish enclave in Northern Syria.

The absence of US troops in the buffer zone along the Turkish border opens the way for Turkey to use its vastly superior military power to take control of this area. Presumably the area will be eventually taken over by the Al-Assad regime and in this process the residents would be subjected to same devastation as he has inflicted his opponents, resulting in some half-million deaths and two million refugees.

The Kurds have been essential in the fight against Isis, and will continue to fight for their own independence. The presence of American and allied forces in the area have been the principal deterrent against Turkish and Al-Assad’s conquering of this last area. We hope that President Trump will again recast his decision to prevent this catastrophe from occurring. The betrayal of the trust built over the past decade could have lasting adverse effects.

Byron K. Varme
Executive Director

Today marks the 70^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China which is being celebrated in Beijing with their usual grandiose parade of troops and weapons. The celebration is different in Hong Kong where the parades are composed of angry youths who, with their adult supporters, are continuing to protest the dilution of the freedoms promised in the 1984 agreement with the United Kingdom that ceded the colony to China. One of the personal objectives of Chinese President Xi Jinping is to fully reunite Hong Kong and Taiwan which he considers are an integral part of China. The majority of Hong Kong and Taiwan citizens strongly disagree. They prize their freedoms and have no desire to live under the autocratic rule of Beijing.

In a recent Op/Ed piece[1] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote a scathing analysis of the Hong Kong crisis in which he assured the millions of Hong Kong citizens of American support for their actions to preserve their freedoms. He cites the brutal suppression of other “supposedly autonomous regions” including Tibet and Xinjiang where the Muslim Uighur population has been horribly persecuted.

As the author of the Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 which extended special privileges that have contributed to the city’s remarkable growth, Senator McConnell recommends both the US and its allies in the free world both voice their repugnance of these actions and instead adopt policies that will lessen threats to its neighbors and benefit their own citizens.

The Foundation for International Freedom also stands behind Hong Kong.

Byron K. Varme. Executive Director.

Standing beside the rows of white crosses in the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach was an unforgettable experience. The crosses mark the final resting place of some 9,000 men who gave their lives during the invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. The sheer size of the fields is awesome, and is a welcome reminder that the efforts of the Allied nations participating in the invasion are still appreciated.

These graves represent only a fraction of the death and devastation caused by the fascist regimes of Germany, Italy and Japan in World War II, the most destructive war in history. It must never be allowed to occur again, but such destruction is not impossibile.

Russia, China, and North Korea each have nuclear attack capability. Other countries, including Iran, could quickly join the nuclear club.  Although these nations may not use these weapons themselves, the danger of such weapons falling in the hands of Isis or other terrorist groups is an increasing threat.

It is a vital interest of our civilization to spread freedom and improve the lives of those suffering under oppressive regimes. Free countries seldom wage war against each other.

Byron K. Varme, Executive Director

The Senate’s vote to confirm the appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court was a very welcome triumph of reason over emotion. There was, on both sides of the aisle, an understanding that Justice Kavanaugh has superb legal qualifications for this job. For almost all Democrats, that was a major part of the problem. They were seeking another Justice who shared their view that the Supreme Court should be an active partner in promoting their social policies. However, this is in conflict with the mission of the Court, as stated in the oath of office, “To support and defend and protect the Constitution of the United States…” There appears to be no doubt on either side that Justice Kavanaugh will live up to that commitment. That is good news for the country.

Byron K. Varme
Executive Director

The suspense is over! On June 1^st President Trump announced that the meeting with DPRK Chairman Kim Jong Un that he canceled just last week was now on again and the two leaders will have their summit in Singapore on June 12^th as previously scheduled. It appears that it will probably happen.

This is good news. By agreeing to meet the “Little Rocket Man” President Trump essentially defused the crisis atmosphere that prevailed in 2017 when the DPRK launched a series of ballistic missiles and carried out underground nuclear tests. This welcome change was further enhanced when President Moon of South Korea invited the North Korea to participate in the Winter Olympic Games.

One prediction we can make at this time with a high degree of confidence is that after the meeting each party will proclaim that the Singapore Summit was a great success. For Kim Jong Un it represents the achievement of a three generation objective, the recognition of North Korea as a serious power to be respected an even feared. President Trump has already declared that the meeting will be the first step in the process of denuclearization of North Korea.

In a recent Op/Ed piece, Walter Mead Johnson cited the prospects for Kim relinquishing his nuclear weapons and delivery system most succinctly, “The Kim’s would rather be the absolute rulers of a poor country that the former rulers of a middle income one”

Last year, early in his short term as Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson assured Kim Jong Un that the US was not seeking Regime change. In response, in a Commentary last year titled “Of course, we want regime change!” I surmised that the statement was merely diplomatic blather, because the only way that the DPRK will ever change is when the Kim Dynasty is overthrown and replaced by a government that seeks the betterment of their people. This is a very tall order, not to be accomplished easily. However, it is the only realistic long term objective.

Byron Kahrs Varme

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian supporters, Vladimir Putin and Ayatollah Khamenei, may have done a great favor to President Trump.

The air attack on the Damascus suburb of Douma on April 6^th reportedly killed over 40 men, women and children with chlorine gas, considered a weapon of mass destruction and universally banned. Based on Trump’s recent comments expressing his intention to withdraw all US forces from Syria. Al-Assad et al presumably assumed they could get away with this attack unscathed. However, Trump tweeted they would pay a “Big Price” for this heinous action.

His tweet is the equivalent of the infamous “Red Line” comments by Barrack Obama. Weaseling out of this commitment resulted in Russia and Iran greatly expanding Russian and Iranian  involvement in Syria. It was the greatest foreign affairs blunder of the Obama presidency.

What to do? Follow the example set by President George H. W. Bush in the First Gulf War and instruct SECDEV General Mattis to prepare the optimal response then stand aside and let our superb military do the work. While the response is being planned, solicit support from our closest allies to contribute to the effort. Presumably, this could involve cruise missiles to cripple Syria’s new Russian air defenses, followed by attacks on military command facilities and perhaps even on Assad’s presidential palaces.

No doubt such attacks will be labeled acts of war against a sovereign nation, however, the Allied mission is not to invade or occupy, only to punish the bullies and help the decimated opponents of one of the most brutal regimes on the planet. Such response would be welcomed by freedom loving people everywhere and is long overdue.

One collateral effect would be to strengthen our position in the forthcoming negotiations with Kin Jong-un on the DPRK nuclear threat. Go for it, Donald. Show them you are not all words and bluster.

Byron Kahrs Varme