A New Year's Wish: Unilateral American Democracy

Instead of exporting war, waterboarding, and weapons, wouldn't it be nice if the United States instead focused on exporting its ideals again? This op-ed takes a brief look at how we could do better by ourselves and the international community in 2008.

In Britain, a new prime minister uses new words. Gordon Brown says "all methods of diplomacy, all means of intelligence, all tools of law and policing" should be employed against terrorists. He speaks of using the "arsenal of democracy" to "defeat their ideas," of backing moderate voices "that emphasize shared values." In 2008, Americans can begin to hope for the same.