Appeasing Tyrants, Then and Now
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is most infamous for his “appeasement” of Adolf Hitler at Munich, by allowing him to seize part of Czechoslovakia without firing a shot. Chamberlain’s naivete was stunning. Hitler had already invaded the Rhineland and annexed Austria.
Emboldened by Britain’s passivity, Hitler seized the rest of Czechoslovakia, then Poland, then invaded France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg — and then took on Britain itself, in his overwhelming “Blitz” bombardment of civilian targets. With Chamberlain replaced by Winston Churchill, Britain held fast against the Nazi onslaught. But this valiant defense couldn’t last indefinitely. The embattled island nation needed help.
Our ancestors, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and presidential advisor Harry Hopkins, stood with Great Britain during the darkest hours of the Second World War. Bolstered by our Lend Lease program, the United States of America became what FDR called the ‘great arsenal of democracy’, providing vital war materials and food to enable the British to keep fighting. Lend Lease was a way to keep America out of the war, Roosevelt reasoned. More importantly, it was a signal that America would and could resist Nazi aggression without declaring war.
Today, we applaud Vice President Kamala Harris for standing with the people of Ukraine as they valiantly defend their homeland from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression. Conversely, we call on former President Donald Trump to desist in his criticism of our long-standing allies and the comfort he provides to authoritarian leaders.
Since the end of World War Two — where roughly 70–85 million souls were lost — the United States and her allies have thus far prevented a repeat of such abject carnage. Collective security against aggression had been preserved by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Europe and the Indo-Pacific alliances established by the United States. To cast doubt on such alliances — as Trump has repeatedly done — is grossly irresponsible. Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric puts our uniformed men and women in danger and undermines the relationships our leaders have painstakingly built over the last century.
In February 2024, Trump said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member that doesn’t meet spending guidelines on defense.
In regards to Taiwan, Trump said in July 2024 they should pay us for defense.
On Ukraine, both Trump and his running mate all but admitted they’d abandon the nation if elected. Trump mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “the greatest salesman on Earth” and attacked him for refusing to strike a deal with Putin. Vice President Harris, standing alongside President Zelenskyy recently at the White House, declared that those who would have Ukraine cede territory for peace are supporting “proposals of surrender.” Trump, standing alongside Zelenskyy a day later, bragged about how he had a “very good relationship” with Ukraine’s sworn enemy, Putin. Shades of appeasement.
Trump has vowed to be a dictator on ‘day one’ and has praised authoritarian leaders Putin, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Chinese “president for life” Xi Jinping and Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban.
Ultimately, Trump’s ill-conceived ‘America First’ stance and adulation for authoritarians only serves to embolden our enemies and frighten our allies. We view Trump’s stances on NATO, the Indo-Pacific, and specifically on Ukraine as appeasement on steroids.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill remarked in reference to neutrality in the face of aggression, “Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured.” Trump is inviting the crocodile to dinner.
If the United States and her allies fail to stand with Ukraine now, no country in Eastern Europe will be safe. Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and most of the Balkans are looking to the United States and NATO to secure lasting peace and security in the region. Our allies in the Indo-Pacific are closely looking at events in Europe to see if, in turn, rising aggression in their backyard will be checked.
With the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations recently assembling in New York, those seeking the highest elected position in the Free World can either take this opportunity to reaffirm the most successful alliance of nations ever assembled or plunge the world back into the uncertainty and darkness humanity tragically experienced the first half of the 20th century. All indications point to Trump dragging the world towards the latter.
Just as the British people did during the darkest hours of 1940, the brave men and women of Ukraine look to the United States of America to once again be the great ‘arsenal of democracy’ as they withstand naked aggression from Putin’s Russia. The United States and every nation that values freedom, liberty, and democracy must use every means available to stand with Ukraine at this critical hour. Time and again, Trump has shown himself unwilling to stand against the emerging forces of totalitarianism. For that, we regard him as incredibly weak, dangerously ignorant, and wholly unfit to be Leader of the Free World.
James Roosevelt, Jr., grandson of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, is a former associate commissioner of the Social Security Administration. June Hopkins, granddaughter of Harry Hopkins, FDR’s Secretary of Commerce, is a professor of History Emerita at Georgia Southern University.
