USMC Colonel (Ret.) Eric Buer: America’s Fractured Foreign Policy – Five Steps to Healing a Divided Nation Without Abandoning Global Leadership

Vladimir Putin himself revealed the authoritarian playbook: “Sometimes it is necessary to be lonely in order to prove that you are right.” This isn’t wisdom—it’s the rationalization of every dictator who has ever rejected accountability, dismissed criticism, and embraced isolation over genuine partnership. It’s the philosophical foundation for crushing dissent and calling it strength. Xi Jinping wants to demonstrate that authoritarian efficiency defeats democratic messiness. China’s model of surveillance capitalism, technological control, and ruthless suppression is being exported globally as an alternative to Western liberalism. Taiwan represents everything the Chinese Communist Party fears—proof that Chinese culture thrives under democracy. Taiwan’s destruction would signal the death of that possibility. The Iranian regime wants to prove that revolutionary Islamic theocracy can outlast, outmaneuver, and ultimately destroy the “Great Satan.” Every centrifuge they spin, every proxy they fund, every chant of “Death to America” is part of a long-term strategy to remake the Middle East without American influence. Israel’s destruction isn’t incidental to this goal—it’s central, because a thriving Jewish democracy in the heart of the Middle East contradicts everything the Ayatollahs claim about divine destiny and historical inevitability. These tyrants share a common understanding that America’s greatest vulnerability isn’t military—it’s our internal division. They don’t need to match our carrier groups or missile arsenals if they can simply amplify our domestic conflicts, exploit our inconsistencies, and wait for us to lose faith in ourselves. The Cost of Our Division Every day we spend fighting each other over immigration policy, we’re not countering Chinese influence in Latin America. Every hour consumed by partisan warfare over domestic issues is an hour we’re not coordinating allied responses to Russian aggression. Every moment of strategic confusion about our role in the world is a moment that emboldens dictators to test our resolve. The left-leaning media’s reflexive criticism of border enforcement isn’t just politically convenient, it’s strategically damaging. When we can’t even agree that controlling our borders is legitimate, how do we explain defending Ukraine’s borders or Taiwan’s sovereignty? When we portray all immigration enforcement as inherently racist, we undermine the very concept of national sovereignty that undergirds our support for allies under attack. Similarly, the right’s tendency to question every foreign commitment creates openings for adversaries. Skepticism about aid to Ukraine or Israel—framed as fiscal responsibility or America First—serves Putin and Iran’s narrative that America is an unreliable partner retreating from global leadership. Our adversaries don’t care about our partisan distinctions. They simply see division and exploit it. Russian disinformation campaigns simultaneously fund far-left and far-right content in America, not because they believe in either ideology, but because they understand that a house divided cannot stand. Five Steps to National Healing While Defeating Our Enemies Establish Doctrine-Based Consistency Centered on Defeating Authoritarianism We need a clearly articulated American foreign policy doctrine built on a simple principle: we support democracies and oppose dictatorships, period. This doctrine should define authoritarianism as the organizing threat of our time. This means treating Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela not as separate challenges but as components of an authoritarian axis that requires a coordinated response. When we sanction one, we should anticipate and counter attempts by others to circumvent those sanctions. When we support Ukraine or Israel, we should understand these commitments as part of a larger struggle against tyranny. The doctrine should be clear.  America will use every tool of national power – economic, diplomatic, informational, and when necessary, military to support free peoples against authoritarian aggression. No more half-measures in Venezuela. No more endless negotiations with Iran while they spin centrifuges. No more strategic patience with adversaries who mistake patience for weakness. Depoliticize Immigration by Framing It as National Security Immigration needs to be understood as what it is: a national security issue that requires both enforcement and process. This reframing removes it from culture war territory and places it in strategic context. Border security isn’t about xenophobia—it’s about sovereignty, the same principle we defend in Ukraine and Taiwan. A nation that cannot control who enters its territory is not fully sovereign. Every trafficker we fail to stop, every criminal we fail to interdict, every fraudulent asylum claim we fail to adjudicate efficiently undermines the sovereignty principle we claim to defend globally. Simultaneously, legal immigration represents strategic advantage. The world’s best and brightest still want to come to America, not China or Russia. This is a competitive edge we’re squandering with outdated systems and political paralysis. We should be recruiting talent, not repelling it. Concrete reform: Secure the border with technology and personnel. Create efficient legal pathways for needed workers and legitimate asylum seekers. Impose real consequences for illegal entry and overstays. Remove the issue from partisan warfare by recognizing that security and opportunity aren’t contradictory—they’re complementary. Rebuild Congressional Foreign Policy Authority to Ensure Sustained Commitment The executive branch’s accumulated war-making power weakens sustained policy because commitments can change from administration to administration. Congressional authorization forces public debate and creates a durable, bipartisan commitment that survives electoral cycles. This is particularly crucial in long-term competition with China and confronting Iranian nuclear ambitions. These challenges won’t be resolved in four-year increments. We need twenty-year strategies with legislative backing that signal to both allies and adversaries that American policy is consistent regardless of which party controls the White House. Congress should authorize clear missions with defined objectives: support Ukraine until Russian forces withdraw from internationally recognized borders; prevent Iranian nuclear weapons capability by any means necessary; defend Taiwan’s de facto independence; support Venezuela’s democratic transition. These authorizations should include specific metrics for success and failure, forcing regular congressional review and public accountability. Create Accountability Processes That Strengthen Future Performance We cannot heal without honestly accounting for recent failures—but the lesson from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya isn’t that we shouldn’t confront dictators. It is that we need to confront them more effectively. The failure in Afghanistan wasn’t supporting Afghans against the Taliban—it was nation-building without acknowledging cultural realities and strategic patience. The failure in Iraq wasn’t removing Saddam Hussein—it was inadequate post-war planning and premature withdrawal that created space for ISIS. The failure in Libya wasn’t opposing Gaddafi—it was lacking any vision for what came after. We need review processes that ask: How do we confront authoritarianism more effectively? How do we support freedom movements without repeating past mistakes? How do we maintain commitment without mission creep? The answer isn’t abandoning confrontation with tyrants—it’s getting better at it. Recommit to Allies as the Foundation of Anti-Authoritarian Coalition American credibility depends on absolute reliability to democracies under threat. Ukraine and Israel aren’t contradictory commitments—they’re complementary demonstrations that America backs free peoples against authoritarian aggression, whether from Moscow or Tehran. For Ukraine, this means sustained military aid until Russia’s defeat, not endless negotiations that reward Putin’s war crimes. For Israel, this means unwavering support as they confront Iranian-backed terrorists, while encouraging approaches that don’t undermine long-term strategic goals. For Taiwan, this means clarity that we will defend their democracy against Chinese invasion. This clarity serves multiple purposes: it encourages allies to invest in their own defense, deters adversaries from testing our resolve, and demonstrates to fence-sitting nations that alignment with democracy is the winning bet. Fighting Dictators Without Losing Ourselves The tyrants running Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, and other authoritarian regimes share one belief: the American Dream will fail because Americans will lose faith in it first. They’re betting that we’ll grow tired of defending freedom, that we’ll turn inward, that we’ll decide the burden of leadership isn’t worth bearing. Proving them wrong requires the hardest work: honest self-assessment, uncomfortable compromises, and sustained commitment to both domestic unity and global leadership. It means recognizing that our internal divisions are strategic vulnerabilities that our enemies exploit. It means understanding that supporting Ukraine and Israel aren’t contradictory policies but complementary components of opposing authoritarianism worldwide. Most importantly, it means remembering that the authoritarian model offers nothing but repression, poverty, and fear. Russians live under a kleptocratic dictatorship. Chinese citizens endure surveillance states. Iranians suffer under theocratic tyranny. Venezuelans starve under criminal regimes. The American Dream—freedom, opportunity, self-determination—remains humanity’s best hope. Our adversaries know this. That’s why they work so hard to undermine it. The path forward isn’t complicated: unite at home, stand firm abroad, support freedom, oppose tyranny. But simple doesn’t mean easy. It requires electing leaders committed to American leadership, supporting media that informs rather than divides, and demanding that our institutions serve national interests over partisan advantage. The tyrants are counting on us to fail. Let’s disappoint them. — Alex Vohr is a retired Marine Corps Colonel and combat veteran. He served as a commanding officer, Director of the USMC School of Advanced Warfighting, and as the J4 for US Southern Command. He is the author of Speed Kills and is currently the President of One LNG, a Texas-based energy company.