Dear President Barack Obama,
I hope this letter finds you, Michelle, and the girls all in good health. I'm writing to remind you that Monday, July 28, 2014, marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War - or, as you Americans call it, World War 1.
You may recall that a century ago the tensions of Europe snapped, all thanks to a single shot fired by a lone gunman. Suddenly, more than half the globe found itself at war. At the time, Woodrow Wilson was president. Like you, he was a Democrat. Like you, he considered himself a progressive president. And, like you, he decided to distance himself from the conflicts around the globe because the American people did not want to get involved in "foreign adventures."
This policy of isolation, while popular and convenient, proved to be detrimental to America and the world. As the war dragged on, Wilson watched former empires and nations being torn apart by ethnic conflict, class warfare and revolutionaries looking for power. He came to understand that if America didn't step in, the whole world might really go up in smoke. The opposition he faced was enormous: the press, Congress and the American people were skeptical of military action and critical of the undemocratic, greedy European empires that they saw as the cause of the conflict.
But he did not waver: he made the case that in order "to make the world safe for democracy" as well as create an enduring world peace, America must get involved. Thanks to President Wilson's resolve, Congress declared war on the central powers, American troops ended the war in Europe and Wilson sat at the head of the peace treaty table.
Thus, Wilson added a now very familiar mandate to the Office of President: leadership in the cause of peace and prosperity around the world.
Mr. President, as we look at the world today, it is becoming clear that not much has changed a century later. Twisted alliances, selfish heads-of-state and undemocratic processes threaten to throw the world into chaos once again. Indeed, as you and your staff must acknowledge, Ukraine and the Middle East are already in various stages of chaos and unlawful domination, the end result of which is always serfdom or death for the vast majority of those unfortunate souls caught in the middle.
Which brings us to the long foreshadowed question of this letter: President Obama, will you lead your country and your allies to turn back this latest tide of darkness?
Until now, you and your office have been eerily quiet, non-confrontational, and even contradictory toward those around the world who threaten the post-Cold War consensus of American supremacy and the triumph of liberal democracy. This is most unfortunate, given that as the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful nation on earth, and the undisputed leader of the Free World, your words, policies and actions set the tone for both your friends and foes about which activities are tolerable and which actions earn drone strikes.
Diplomacy and sanctions have not worked to date. And it is becoming increasingly clear that America's enemies do not believe it has the political will to stop the advancement of their brutish and evil agenda; they believe that your media, Congress and citizens are so exhausted from a decade of war that they are ready to lay down and let injustice grow.
You and you alone are capable of turning the tide in this dark hour. But it will require resolve and strength of will. I hope that you are capable of showing such before it's too late.
