America-first does not mean America only.
The America of 2024 can learn from the strength, love of country, and willingness to fight for our values from the America of 2001.
When the towers collapsed on what seemed like an ordinary day, Americans grieved. When flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, Americans watched in horror. When flight 93 landed in an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Americans gathered in prayer.
But through the rubble and the fire arose American fortitude and commitment.
American Red Cross workers geared up to help communities affected by the attacks. First responders traveled across the country to search through the debris and help in any way they could. President George W. Bush found out about the attacks while reading to a classroom full of elementary school kids, yet remained calm and collected. He knew he could not show fear.
Two decades later, Ukraine is fighting against the hands of a ruthless dictator in Russia. Israel battles for its very existence against Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization. China is on the march, and the freedom-loving people of Taiwan are waiting as China continues military exercises violating its air and sea space.
There is never a time when America’s leaders should stand by as terrorists and dictators destroy people and their countries. America must always remain on the side of freedom and liberty.
American strength doesn’t mean that the country goes out “in search of monsters to destroy,” first offered as a warning by John Quincy Adams. But it does mean that when monsters rear their heads, America destroys them.
This is not through America’s sole initiative, but through work with her allies.
America doesn’t need to cast aside her own interests to do this. George Washington was right in asserting that foreign policy needs to be focused on “interest, guided by justice.” America needs to put her own needs first, but supporting allies like Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan benefits the United States.
Poland’s head of military intelligence warned that Russian President Valdimir Putin is ready for a small operation against a Baltic country. These are NATO countries, meaning that the United States, as a partner in NATO, has to get involved in what would become a world war due to NATO obligations. We want to prevent wars, and allowing Ukraine to succumb to Russia will lead to further wars and U.S. involvement. Helping now saves time and resources later.
Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East. If we lose Israel, we accept defeat against Iran, which is developing nuclear weapons.
Remember those protests for Gaza? The U.S. director of National Intelligence released a statement saying Iran backed many of the pro-Gaza protests in America.
Taiwan is a beacon of freedom against the horrific Chinese Communist Party, which stands for everything America is against.
We should want our allies to succeed, and we should want our enemies to shudder at the thought of American involvement.
This involvement does not necessitate sending excessive amounts of money that cannot be traced. We should be supporting our allies with weapons that they need to win their own fights. They don’t want us to start democracy-building, and we shouldn’t want that either.
When the Twin Towers fell, America did not stand alone. In return, we bear a responsibility as a world superpower to support our allies.
Leaders can also look to the failures from pre-9/11 America, in which national security did not take up as much news coverage and political discourse as it does today. The United States did not have the Department of Homeland Security, which was established in 2003 as a result of the 9/11 attacks. DHS helps protect our borders, our flights, and anything else happening at home, so this department is essential to our safety.
America can never go back to a time when national security belonged on the backburner. According to a House GOP Judiciary Report from August 2024, Border Patrol encountered 375 illegals on the terrorist watch list at the southern border during Biden’s presidency. Of this number, the Department of Homeland released 99 to roam about the country. At least another 34 are in custody but still present in the United States.
If those numbers aren’t concerning, there is an issue. Americans can never forget what happened. The leaders in this country must remain vigilant.
On 9/11, terrorists crashed planes that killed thousands of people, families of 9/11 victims had empty chairs at the dinner table, and the American experience seemed like it was on the brink of extinction. It takes just a day and some terrible actors to cause chaos in an attempt to break the nation apart. With American strength and commitment, however, the nation is safer and better prepared to defend against terror.