Repeating Foreign Policy Mistakes

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To the Editor:

Re “Giving Up Foreign Policy Pretenses,” by Ross Douthat (column, March 2):

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance are repeating a foreign policy misstep that Neville Chamberlain, Britain’s prime minister, made famous in the 1930s: appeasement.

Some may speculate that Mr. Trump is playing three-dimensional chess, or that the past 80 years could have been improved with less trade, fewer alliances and reduced globalization. However, these arguments miss a fundamental point.

Henry Kissinger, who is mentioned in Mr. Douthat’s column, had a mixed legacy of achievements. Yet it’s doubtful he would have permitted the disorganized preparation and lack of discipline that led to an obvious diplomatic failure in the Oval Office.

Ukrainians cannot afford academic debates between realpolitik and principles-based foreign policy. Their reality is brutal: invasion, the atrocities at Bucha, Russia’s abduction of their children, bombing of hospitals and systematic terrorizing of their society.

Perhaps it is Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance who need to confront their foreign policy illusions. History has repeatedly shown that appeasement fails and that ideals do matter in foreign affairs.

Hugh Ansty
Chicago

To the Editor:

Ross Douthat agrees with JD Vance’s complaints that the Europeans don’t honor free speech. And it is true that several European countries have laws against Holocaust denial, antisemitic and pro-Nazi expressions, and the like. Such laws are based on historical experiences more horrible than either the author or I could truly imagine.

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