Fifty years ago, writing in the aftermath of 1974, the Okanagan Canadian Kelowna Courier observed that “there seems to have been a significant change of emphasis in the way the United States views her role in the world,” noting that the shift was “far more reasonable, tentative, and conciliatory.” The editorial went on to suggest that foreign policy might move away from treating “any small country (as) a suitable case for treatment, often irrespective of the views expressed by the people of that country.” President Gerald Ford, it said, appeared to understand that the United States would need to rely on a “soft sell” to maintain its international influence.
What a difference 50 years make.
Today’s United States, governed by an individual and cohorts who seem unable — or unwilling — to work constructively with the rest of the world, has turned that hopeful prediction on its head. The lesson from 1975 is not outdated; it is ignored. As history repeatedly shows, abandoning diplomacy for domination comes at a cost — not only to those on the receiving end, but to the credibility and moral authority of the United States itself.
