One can only suppose that” sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may not injure me” must not be translated into German because Vice President J. D. Vance’s new statement to the Munich Security Conference was met with such a frantic response in Europe.
Vance’s main point was that it is dishonest to rally the complimentary world around defending democracy if European democracies themselves abandon political principles, from ignoring voter concerns about mass migration, from fine citizens for softly praying, from jailing activists for expressing questionable views, to perhaps to invalidating the results of a national election.
In response to Vance’s remarks, one unnamed European diplomat told the , Financial Times he now views the United States as an “adversary”, while a Democrat congressman , compared , Vance’s rhetoric to Adolf Hitler.
No one, however, has actually refuted the examples Vance cited, choosing to refute them by essentially arguing that the only way to preserve democracy is to abandon democratic values that aren’t politically appropriate.
Exposing this logical fallacy is why Vance’s speech was so necessary.
The shared democratic values of Western nations have been the foundation of the transatlantic relationship since World War II’s end. They continue to be the driving force behind the coalition’s efforts to overthrow the so-called Axis of Autocracy and serve as the foundation for our efforts to overthrow Soviet communism.
The Western alliance’s core argument was that it is in the interests of democratic countries to create a collective defense against any foreign power threatening to undermine free peoples ‘ freedom and sovereignty.
Vance, however, revealed a disturbing truth: It all crumbles when the most pressing threat to liberty comes from within democratic countries. In short, if European countries abandon the fundamental principles that bind them to the United States, the entire foundation of the transatlantic relationship will crumble.
Vance warned that free speech is being attacked throughout Europe, warning that” we must do more than talk about democratic values, we must live them.” This assertion left Munich Security Conference Chairman Christoph Heusgen , crying , at the podium as his European colleagues applauded in empathetic support.
However, the vice president only needed days to be proven guilty.
On Sunday,  , “60 Minutes”  , aired a shocking , report , in which a German prosecutor proudly declared that, “yes”, it is a crime to insult someone in Germany, while another said that “reposting” something that seemed to be untrue is a” crime as well”.
German prosecutors who gleefully discuss raiding homes and arresting citizens for alleged crimes give the impression that Vance may have intentionally glossed over the issues at hand.  ,
American taxpayers have spent billions subsidizing the European Union’s defense, even as the EU aggressively , fined , American companies billions of dollars every year. This sense of entitlement is all the more shocking when you consider that Germany’s military , has been assessed , to” not be able to hold its own in high-intensity combat”, and a former British military leader , said the U. K. doesn’t even possess the capability to send troops to Ukraine.
The same German diplomat who wept on stage in Munich in 2018 gave President Trump a warning that Germany would become dependent on Russian energy. President Trump was proven right, of course. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine,  , The New York Times , reported,” Russia supplied more than half of the natural gas and about a third of all the oil that Germany burned to heat homes, power factories and fuel cars, buses and trucks”.
And still, nothing has changed.  ,
Following Vance’s speech, many European politicians spoke about the need to untangle from the United States ‘ security shield, even while key EU states have  , stated , they don’t intend to send a peacekeeping force to Europe.
The fact that they are so dependent on the goodwill of the United States is more likely to hurt European leaders than Vance’s words.
Although Vance’s speech is already historic for its boldness, it might turn out to be one of the most significant speeches of the early 21st century if our European allies reaffirm their commitment to democratic values and the virtue of self-sufficiency.
Europe should accept the challenge of supporting free speech while also investing more in defense. They ought to demonstrate democracy within their own borders as well as discuss defending it from abroad. These values ought to be reflected abroad.
Cliff Sims served as special assistant to President Trump, 2017-2018, and deputy director of national intelligence for strategy and communications, 2020-2021.
