POMPEO: Americans Want Us To Lead Again

America’s decisive strikes on Iran’s nuclear program have sent a clear message to the world: America is back.

It has also reignited a debate about our country’s proper role on the world stage. On the left, there are those who see American leadership as fundamentally harmful to the world order. And on the right, there are some who maintain that putting our interests first requires us to abandon our traditional role as global leader and deprioritize the partnerships that have served us so well.

These voices would have you believe that putting America First requires withdrawing from the very economic and security structures and partnerships that have made our country the freest, most powerful, and most prosperous nation on Earth.

Yet the evidence suggests that this does not reflect the views of most Americans.

In fact, a recent poll from the Reagan Institute shows resurgent support for U.S. global leadership. Almost two-thirds of Americans across party lines reject isolationism and want to see America lead on the international stage. Despite what the media would have you believe about the MAGA movement, nearly 75% of self-described “MAGA Republicans” support greater engagement (up from 61% last November). In contrast, fewer than a quarter want America to be less engaged.

This flies in the face of the isolationist voices on the right and left who denigrate America’s accomplishments on the world stage and claim that the Americans want to retreat from the world. It also contradicts the claim by Democrats that the Republican Party has embraced isolationism.

What’s more, the fact that the rise in the desire to see more active global leadership rose over the past year indicates the costs of retrenchment and appeasement that mounted under the last Administration have become increasingly evident. When America steps back, our adversaries step forward—and the world becomes more dangerous and less prosperous as a result.

In my travels across this great country, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with people from all walks of life and from across the political spectrum. They may disagree on specific policies—that’s democracy in action—but they’re united in believing that America serves as a force for good in the world, and that American leadership and American success are inextricably linked. And as America’s chief diplomat, I’ve also seen the enormous admiration and goodwill that such engagement generates around the world – and the incalculable benefits that have accrued to us as a result.

Isolationism has never made our country great. The America First policies that we pursued during my time in government recognized that global leadership should be deployed strategically to maximize American advantage. When our goals can be achieved through negotiation and diplomacy, we should pursue those avenues relentlessly; but when diplomacy fails and hostile actors mistake restraint for weakness, we must be prepared to act decisively to protect our interests.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, America built economic and defensive structures that are both irreplaceable and unique in world history. It was this system that enabled us to defeat communism; to turn former enemies like Japan and Germany into close, democratic allies; and to protect the free world. The American people appreciate all that this has given us and want to see us lead once again with purpose, strength, and unwavering commitment to the principles that have made us the greatest nation in human history.