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Commentary
Wall Street Journal

Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan Aid: Four Historic Votes for Action

Congress sends a signal that America needs to be stronger and do better.

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the press after the House passed a major aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and also voted to ban TikTok at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 20, 2024. (Photo by Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the press after the House passed a major aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan and also voted to ban TikTok at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 20, 2024. (Photo by Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images)

Last weekend’s House votes on aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and a set of hawkish foreign-policy measures were dramatic and decisive. They may even prove historic. In a time of bitter polarization, the two parties managed to get four consequential foreign-policy bills over the finish line in a closely divided chamber. Friends and foes who thought America was paralyzed by internal dissension are taking another look.

The politics of American foreign policy today reflect a race between failure and fear. On the one hand, the serial failures and strategic incoherence of the conventional foreign-policy establishment lead many voters to oppose expensive foreign-policy initiatives they suspect will do little good. On the other hand, the visibly worsening state of the world and the growing power of countries that don’t disguise their hostile intentions are driving Americans to look to our defenses and allies.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.