Dr. John Lewis on "The Failure of the Homeland Defense: Lessons from History"
With the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Homeland Defense, America has accepted a permanent, institutionalized state of siege on its own soil. But is this the correct strategy? This lecture examines several cases from history, asking what has happened when great nations, facing attack, have turned to defense rather than offense. The results are unequivocal: the only defense is a good offense. America should project her military beyond her borders, into the enemy's homeland, and should leave her cities free and open, as demonstrations of the power and success of freedom.
But this strategic lesson depends upon deeper factors. A nation must understand, and focus on, its self-interest; the military must then be allowed to win. A nation under attack must not exempt those who start a war from its consequences; the psychological will of the enemy to continue the fight must be destroyed along with its physical resources. There is a deep connection between intellectual clarity, moral certainty, and the offensive strategy needed to defeat a ruthless enemy. Only Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism provides the moral foundations needed to succeed against the threats we face today.
Dr. John Lewis is Assistant Professor of History at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio. He is holder of an Anthem Fellowship for Objectivist Scholarship. He is also active as an Objectivist speaker and writer, publishing in The Intellectual Activist and lecturing at conferences. His PhD is in Classics from the University of Cambridge, and his BA in History from the University of Rhode Island. He has taught Ancient History at the University of London, and is a visiting scholar at Rice University and Bowling Green State University.