‘Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves’

The popular uprisings of recent weeks are homegrown reactions to the
oppression everyday people have suffered from successive governments
going all the way back to the Ottoman Empire. They are an indication
that theocracies as a form of government do not measure up to the
realities of today’s world.

The demonstrations thus viewed denote the growing political maturity in
the Arab world. With a relatively young population, they have access to
the West through the television and the social media. They are eager to
join the rest of the world and they admire American prosperity. The
reigning regimes in much of the Arab world are holdovers from a bygone
era. They came to power at a time in which the West was concerned about
Soviet expansionism and Israel was concerned about Islamic extremism.

It is inconsistent with Christian ideals and values for America to cynically bolster political regimes in the Arab world that deny their people the basic freedoms that we almost take for granted in the West. One of our greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln, famously said, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.”

Our continued freedom is dependent upon fulfilling our moral duty to fight for the freedom of people in the Arab world. There are risks to taking a principled stand. As we know from our own Revolutionary War, many people were afraid that radical elements within the American society would upset the order that had been established by the British. Not all colonial citizens supported the acts of the Constitutional Convention; and certainly the American nation that emerged was not without its flaws. There was and remains a crack in the Liberty Bell.
 
Unlike Egypt, however, America was blessed with the opportunity to grow and mature in “splendid isolation.” We enjoyed an abundant land and a wide sea separating us from the political intrigue and factiousness of Europe and Asia. We had time to develop our nation — time Egypt and the Arab world, unfortunately, might not have. The world is so interconnected that nascent democracies will be instantly burdened with the demands placed on mature nations. This is not yesterday’s American Revolution.

Armstrong Williams is on Sirius/XM Power 169, 7-8 p.m. and 4-5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/arightside, and follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/arightside.