The bitter fruits of appeasement

In time, history may remember President Bush far more for his weaknesses in foreign policy than for his strengths. While most Americans focus on Afghanistan and Iraq, the President's terrible policies on Communist China and its satellites continue to have profound effects around the globe.

Out attempt to placate North Korea has left the people of Japan confused and deeply angry (One Free Korea - excellent headline, BTW), while getting almost nothing of value in return from the Communist Chinese colony (Washington Post). The Long Arm of Lawlessness has spread from New York to Paris (Epoch Times). Yet world leaders, following the President's example, continue to treat Communist China with kid gloves (Washington Times).

Of course, the Communists have problems of their own, be it with the Olympics (BBC, NRO - Media Blog) or the political aftermath of the Sichuan quake (Weekly Standard). Yet it was precisely at the moment of its greatest domestic weakness in sixty years (the late 1970s) that the Soviets began their greatest advancement on the world stage. The reason was simple: the free world let them.

Likewise today, the free world is allowing a badly weakened Communist Chinese regime to take the initiative in geopolitics and silence its critics wherever they may be found. Too many democratic leaders have deluded themselves into believing someday, somehow, the Chinese Communist Party will behave differently.

It just isn't so. America and her democratic allies will never be secure until China is free.