The contrast between the left’s protests and the right’s debates on foreign policy, including Ukraine

In 2024, the division in foreign policy isn’t just between Republicans and Democrats, but within each party itself.

For Democrats, the fault line is Israel, with some supporting the country and others sympathizing with Palestine.

Republicans, on the other hand, are divided over Ukraine, and the internal conflict risks Speaker Mike Johnson losing his position as a result.

These crises are sparking tensions that have been growing within both party coalitions since the end of the Cold War.

As the most powerful nation in the world, the United States faces questions about how to use its power to promote its values and what those values are.

These debates are complicated by different dispositions within each party, including the belief that America is too wicked to do good on the world stage or that the world is too different from us to benefit from our involvement.

There are also discussions about the importance of engaging with a dangerous world to protect our institutions and way of life.

The challenges of external threats, limited resources, and national morale further complicate these debates.

Debates on foreign policy often turn into protests rather than serious discussions, especially on college campuses.

Despite this, recent events have shown that conservatives can engage in intelligent discussions about their differences, as demonstrated by a debate at the University of Texas at Austin.

These debates can be productive, even when there are no concessions made on either side.

This debate highlighted how conservatives with different views can engage with each other constructively, and it also demonstrated that mature debates can still happen on college campuses.

Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age.

Twitter: @ToryAnarchist