Skip to main content
Tags: telaviv | kyiv | sdi
OPINION

Reagan's Foresight Brought 'Peace Through Strength'

presidency history inauguration

U.S. President Ronald Reagan (C) gives his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 40th president of the United States during inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, on January 20, 1981. Behind him is vice-president George W. Bush. (AFP via Getty Images)

Craig Shirley By Monday, 13 May 2024 03:55 PM EDT Current | Bio | Archive

To paraphrase Robert Frost, "Good missile defenses make good neighbors."

Recently, Iran launched waves of drones and missiles at Israel.

The vast majority of those attacks never reached their intended targets thanks to Israel’s Iron Dome, a series of anti-missile defense systems.

And Vladmir Putin’s push westward into Europe is hampered by NATO’s missile defense in various countries.

Ukraine keeps lobbying the US for additional defensive weaponry in their war with Russia.

All these nations have learned from Ronald Reagan’s policy of "Peace Through Strength."

It's that policy that Iran understood when they released hostages held for 444 days, the day he was sworn in as president.

It's the same regime that is emboldened by President Joe Biden’s weakness.

It is that same policy failure that then-Sen. Joe Biden showed when Reagan championed the Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983.

While Reagan had the vision and forethought to fight for defensive weapons that would save the U.S. and its allies, Senator Biden dismissed the idea of strong missile defense and proclaimed, "We cannot put an umbrella over America."

Wrong again Joe.

Residents of Tel Aviv and Kyiv are much safer today having that umbrella keeping them safe from Russian and Iranian attacks.

During the Reagan years, Biden argued against defense spending during the height of the Cold War. Mainly because in 1984 and 1988 a much younger and energetic Biden tried to run for president, and trying to oppose Reagan’s vision and priorities was more important than national security.

Biden has always been weak on communism.

It's that type of leadership that Presidents Reagan and Trump showed when not just preparing for the battles in front of us, but for the future as well.

From SDI to Space Force, those bold forward-thinking initiatives help to make America stronger and safer.

The Biden approach of appeasing Iran and China for short-term goals, while inviting future aggression shows a narrow global view, one that threatens future generations.

Biden’s priority on military spending is diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) while our military enrollment, morale and weapon stockpiles are all down. Rebuilding those will take years, and our enemies will continue to capitalize on our weakness.

Reagan, on the other hand, saw the need to build our national offensive and defensive capabilities that kept the American people safe for generations to come.

By championing SDI, Reagan was ensuring that future presidents would have the capabilities to prevent any future attack, regardless of when or where they came.

Reagan saw the future. He once said, "I have seen the conservative future, and it works."

Joe Biden is myopic and needs corrective lenses. He'll never bother to obtain them.

Craig Shirley is the Chairman of Citizens for the Republic, as well as a Ronald Reagan biographer and presidential historian having written six books on Reagan. He's also written The New York Times bestseller, "December, 1941" and also published the companion book, "April, 1945." He's also the author of the book "Mary Ball Washington," which won the People’s Choice Award from the Library of Virginia. His book on the 1980 presidential campaign, "Rendezvous with Destiny" was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of the five best campaign books of all time. Shirley is also the author of the newly released bestseller, "The Search for Reagan" and is now writing a book about the 2024 Trump campaign tentatively entitled, "Comeback." Read Craig Shirley's Reports — More Here.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


CraigShirley
Reagan saw the need to build our national offensive and defensive capabilities. By championing SDI, Reagan was ensuring that future presidents would have the capabilities to prevent any future attack.
telaviv, kyiv, sdi
570
2024-55-13
Monday, 13 May 2024 03:55 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved