Shortly after the United States entered World War II, General George C. Marshall recruited legendary film director Frank Capra to direct a series of films. This series, entitled Why We Fight, aimed to answer for the millions of American soldiers being sent to the front lines that all-important question: why? These young men were going to be putting their lives on the line, and many of them would eventually pay the ultimate sacrifice. It was more than fair that they knew why.
Today, “why we fight” remains an essential question to answer, specifically when it comes to our most dangerous adversary—China. While our opponent has changed since World War II, the answer as to why remains quite similar. We fight to preserve a sovereign and free United States and to protect the security, freedom, and prosperity of the American people. And not just any definition of security, freedom, and prosperity, but our very particularly American understanding of these core interests, enlightened by our founding principles.
As you read this, the security and freedom of an American citizen named Min Zin is being violated in China. Min Zin was wrongfully detained on June 3 on bogus espionage charges. To make matters worse, he was invited to China by a Chinese academic institution under the pretext of speaking at an academic conference. Min Zin runs a think tank outside of China that focuses on Myanmar, where he and his colleagues have detailed China’s hypocritical malign influence inside Myanmar.
This week, The Vandenberg Coalition drafted a letter signed by over 30 conservative national security experts calling on the United States government to designate Min Zin as wrongfully detained and to make his release a diplomatic priority and a necessary precondition for any additional summits with China. We were grateful to President Trump and his administration who directly intervened on behalf of Pastor Ezra Jin, who was freed the day before America’s 250thbirthday. That miracle shows that the United States remains a powerful, indispensable force for good in the world, and it is critical that we take every action possible to secure the release of Min Zin, along with other American citizens wrongfully detained in China like Youlin Chen and democratic allies like Jimmy Lai.
But unlike in Marshall and Capra’s day, today “why we fight” has a second part. We not only must remind the American people “why,” but we also must convince them we actually are in a fight. China is not merely a competitor, but an adversary. Its goal is not to outcompete us, but to defeat us. China does not just want a seat at the table; instead, it wants to kick the United States out of the room entirely. The notion that we can somehow preserve our freedom and sovereignty in a world dominated by China is as fanciful and naïve as the belief that inviting China into the global economy would transform them into a cooperative partner. If only we had a Frank Capra in Hollywood today…
