Most democratic governments agree that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are inalienable rights of mankind. The mission of the Foundation for International Freedom (FIF) as an educational organization is to advocate policies and activities that will contribute to achieve a more universal acceptance and implementation of these rights. These rights come with responsibilities, basically to treat others as you would wish to be treated…i.e., the Golden Rule. The corollary statement “He who has the gold rules”, where gold is equated to power, describes governments whose leaders rule to enhance their own wealth. These are called “kleptocracies”.
A review of history shows that that human nature confirms the desire of strong men (and some women) to rule others, and the personal and material rewards from gaining positions of leadership are such that over history men have, and will continue, to conduct atrocities to achieve and maintain these positions. It also shows that many devastating wars have been fought against rulers who sought to retain and expand their control.
However, there is a wide range of autocracies from brutal tyranny to beneficent rulers. Freedom House publishes an annual survey which serves as a guide to the extent of freedom in countries. It shows a huge majority of people live in autocratic and/or theocratic countries. There are indeed varying degrees of the quality of democracies.
There is no doubt that an autocratic government can be more efficient than democracies when decisions require approval from a majority of constituents. However, when authoritarian government uses terror against its citizens to retain and expand its control, thereby violating the basic rights cited above, then it loses its legitimacy in the eyes of the freer world. The actions against the Chinese Communist Party in seeking to expand its control over the large segments of the Pacific Ocean, including islands and seaports have produced a strong reactions from its neighbors is the major danger to the world today.
Free countries may seek to expand their empires through peaceful negotiations, but not naked aggression as shown by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The conflicts in the Middle East were sponsored by the theocratic regime in Iran and it’s allies.
These conflicts mark the end of Pax Americana, the period following WWII to the beginning of the 21st century. Although the hegemony of the US governments was often resented, with some reason, the devastation caused by governments seeking to expand empires to former glory by conquest certainly should be resisted by all freedom loving people everywhere.
Byron Kahrs Varme
Chairman
