The Meaning of Freedom – USA Gov Policy

We are pleased to present this guest editorial from U.S. Army Chaplain Don Zapsic (ret.)

Freedom, a.k.a. liberty. What does it mean and how much does it really matter? Most people associate freedom with patriotic displays such as flag-waving, marching bands, and anthem-laced sporting events. Articulating a working definition of freedom beyond feelings evoked is as daunting a task as a necessity. For without proper understanding, there can be little awareness of incremental encroachments upon inalienable rights nor an adequate appreciation of why such liberties should be defended at all costs.

A great challenge to stirring a free people’s passion for liberty to ensure its continued preservation lies in understanding the fundamental difference between personal autonomy and inherent responsibility. To regard freedom simply based upon personal needs and wants means that I am free to live as I choose (autonomy) as long as I don’t infringe upon the rights of others. The obligations of citizenship, however, compels an individual to look beyond his or her own situation to consider that of others as able to do so.

Is freedom prospering in America or in retreat? History points out that freedom is never so a popular a subject as when under attack. Nazi Germany and Communist Russia effectively employed propaganda with devastating results to enslave entire nations promising prosperity while delivering misery. The promotion and passage of the Affordable Care Act serves as a more recent example of how propaganda reduces freedom to mere servitude. It turned out to be little more than a sophisticated rouse utilizing statecraft to massively redistribute wealth from producer to consumer thru the iron fist of socialism in the name of democracy.

Doctrinaire proponents of social justice are quick to endorse the methodology of
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Plato’s “noble lie” to further enlighten the so-called ignorant masses thru benevolent deception. The underlying belief is that the end will justify the means thereby facilitating a materialistic society’s moral development. Such utopian-style thinking is also an assault on freedom as pointed out by F.A. Hayek in his classic book, “The Road to Serfdom.” Hayek maintains that moral development can only take place where the individual is free to choose, “sacrificing personal advantage to the observance of a moral rule (p. 216).”

Perhaps one of the greatest impediments to preserving liberty at every turn lies in the prevailing attitude that somehow freedom is a done deal. Freedom indeed is an inalienable right, but also a privilege only to be enjoyed by a society with enough patriots willing to stand at the ready and fight when necessary while others relax. The Preamble to the Constitution implies that freedom in America is a work in progress encapsulated in the phrase, “in order to form a more perfect union.” Such a union is a perishable commodity always in flux, sometimes closer or further away from the ideal perfect union worth striving for at all times.

Does freedom really matter? Only to those determined to take responsibility for their own lives void of undue interference. True patriots are not interested in suppressing the views of others and are tolerant of contrary opinions respectfully promoted. They care about people without carrying the able-bodied. Such individuals actively engage in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” not surrendering deeply held beliefs and values when threatened by political correctness bullies. Even more importantly, a true American stands up to tyranny whether a thug on the street, judge in a black robe, or elected official who would rather rule than represent.

U.S. Army Photo

Quick Analysis

Ukraine’s Frozen Conflict

As we approach winter in the northern hemisphere, the war in Ukraine is beginning to resemble a “frozen conflict” from many perspectives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told the media he hopes the war will end faster once President-elect Trump takes over in January. Opinions in Moscow, however, differ from that of the Ukrainian leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin argues that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) needs to exclude Ukraine from joining in “exchange” for peace. If it does not, he says, then no end to the war is in sight. So far there is no Christmas solution. Several NATO countries, according to Vladimir Socor of the Jamestown Foundation, are tentatively considering “coalitions-of-the-willing” to provide security for Ukraine outside of the formal NATO framework. There is, however, no collective mechanism today under which such an arrangement is viable. According to the NATO Charter, while Ukraine is a NATO partner country, it may not join as a full member since it has not fulfilled the requirements for membership. That has not stopped NATO and allies from continuing “to provide Ukraine with unprecedented levels of support, helping to uphold its fundamental right to self-defence,” according to the organization. Socor says that keeping Ukraine out of NATO will not advance peace with Russia. Waiting for a peace settlement, he suggests, would only serve to encourage Moscow to continue the war indefinitely. Although the Biden Administration officially withdrew its support for Ukrainian membership in 2021, NATO maintains an “open door” policy toward membership-seeking countries. The current White House position led the way for European states to oppose Ukraine’s membership saying that a decision should be delayed until “conditions are met.” Biden pushed for changing “open door” to a “bridge” metaphor. It is not intended as an across-the-board NATO policy and has been implemented in the past on a case-by-case basis, says Socor. “The alliance’s open-door policy was not fully insulated from Russia’s non-statutory blocking power, and NATO-aspirant countries’ path toward membership was not always irreversible.” Russia has successfully blocked states like Georgia from joining, first in 2008 and again after the war in Ukraine began in 2014. Russia recognizes the value add of Ukraine to NATO is enormous and that Kyiv has a better case than some other nations. Putin’s invasion was, in part, intended to foreclose that option. By 2021, Moscow was pushing hard to maximize its war objectives, which included further annexations of Ukrainian territory. A main goal for Putin was, and is, to ensure there is no Ukraine left to join NATO. As President-elect Trump prepares to assume office in January, he is faced with the historical challenges presented by the war. Post-conflict security guarantees were the center of several proposals made during the 2023 military stalemate. The incoming Trump Administration has yet to outline how it intends to handle the Russia-Ukraine war. Analysts in Washington believe that the new Administration will expect its European allies to guarantee the majority of Ukraine’s security needs. As we approach 2025, several European nations have acknowledged that they do not view Ukraine as eligible for NATO membership as it would draw the organization into the middle of the conflict. Others want to wait until the war is over or pending a “peace” settlement before considering Ukrainian membership. Socor reports that some “influential voices” are suggesting that “Kyiv should join NATO after “freezing” the war along a stable armistice line, de facto accepting Ukraine’s partition, with NATO security guarantees applying de jure to the government-controlled territory only.” This would mean starting accession talks soon with the actual talks to commence only after a ceasefire is in place. Trump arrives in Washington at a time when Putin’s hybrid strategies of war in Ukraine have eviscerated commonly-held differences between war and peace. “Absent a political consensus in NATO over Ukrainian membership, certain European allies, including France’s President Emmanuel Macron, are holding informal consultations about post-conflict security guarantees to Kyiv by NATO members outside of NATO’s framework,” according to the Jamestown Foundation. The Biden Administration downplayed the discussions on possible forms of military assistance and defense industry cooperation by sending only an Assistant Secretary of State. For a European peace to hold the Trump Administration would need to formally extend the United States’ nuclear deterrence to Ukraine. Options under discussion in Europe include a “coalition of the resolute” to deploy forces to Ukraine as part of a possible armistice package, deterring further Russian attacks, says Secor. European officials are also debating, without any agreement, whether its military forces could perform non-combat logistical roles to free Ukrainian forces to fight. None of the possible courses of action has moved forward as all eyes are waiting on the incoming Trump Administration for clues about its intended level of support for a NATO framework and other non-NATO proposals. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.