What Whittaker Chambers Can Teach Biden on the True Meaning of Freedom

As war rages in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin grows more and more isolated from the West, President Biden has consistently defined the growing crisis as a “battle between democracy and autocracy.” Officials in Washington are increasingly eager to block Russian attempts to influence other parts of the world. Last month, for instance, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen traveled to several countries in Africa as part of an effort to strengthen ties with the continent. 

According to Biden’s narrative, authoritarian movements pose the gravest threat to global stability by countering the spread of democracy. Biden reiterated this belief in a speech to African leaders late last year in which he encouraged them to “strengthen democracy and the core values that unite our people — all our people, especially young people — freedom, opportunity, transparency, good governance.”

Although this dichotomy between “democracy” and “autocracy” captures an element of American strategic competition, it does not tell the whole story. And, more importantly, it fails to appeal to the leaders of nondemocratic countries that the United States needs as allies to succeed in outcompeting our rivals. Biden needs to develop a more compelling narrative about the meaning of freedom and how we can protect it.

In foreign affairs, America’s comparative advantage is our dedication to freedom. Our founding principles have inspired people all over the world to strive for freedom and throw off tyranny. But as Abraham Lincoln once said, “The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty.” Ideas like “democracy” or “freedom” are incredibly slippery, and we need to work hard to clearly define what we mean. 

Read more in Providence Magazine.