Since the birth of the Trump administration, a strange argument has continued between Washington and the European Union. It often feels like the pot calling the kettle black. At the Munich Security Conference in February 2025, Vice President J.D. Vance made a speech, the essence of which can be summarized as folllows:
“ The greatest threat to democracy is not external powers such as Russia or China, but the erosion of our fundamental values from within.
Attempts to invalidate election results in Romania, censorship on social media across the EU, and restrictions on freedom of expression in countries such as the United Kingdom and Sweden all threaten democracy itself. In the United States as well, the previous administration tried to control information.
When citizens express concerns about immigration policy and mass migration—about their livelihoods, their safety, and their values—that is the very essence of democracy. Politicians should not ignore those voices.”
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Not all sounds wrong, but Vance’s message was this: opposing the policies of the Trump administration amounts to a departure from the civilization of freedom and democracy. Immigration, in this view, was a mistaken policy of the Democratic Party, and those who do not belong shoulld be forcibly deported.
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One year later, at the same conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made essentially the same argument, though in more diplomatic language (once again, this is the author’s summary) :
“The United States and Europe should walk together. America is prepared to act alone if necessary, but our hope is… to accomplish this together with our friends in Europe.
Europe should resist trends such as large-scale immigration, multiculturalism, extreme environmental policies, and reductions in defense spending, and to rise up in defense of “Western civilization.”
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What the two gentlemen meant to say would be this:
“Europe, stop acting so superior. Don’t lecture us about Trump being a populist or undermining democracy. Look at yourselves—you have allowed uncontrolled immigration and are now in danger of losing confidence in your own civilization. Instead of preaching to us, support the policies of the Trump administration, and then we will give you protection from the threats.”
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This is a crude argument.
To begin with, it is difficult to see how many of the Trump administration’s policies conform to the spirit of freedom and democracy. For example, the enforcement of immigration policy has sometimes produced incidents that appear inconsistent with the rule of law. In early January in Minneapolis, two civilians were shot and killed by armed agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Moreover, Steve Bannon, a former close adviser to Trump, has cultivated ties since the first Trump administration with anti-government and far-right groups across Europe. Many of these movements openly admire strongman politics. Their priority is not the preservation of democratic principles but measures such as the forced deportation of immigrants.
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Yet Vance, Rubio, and Bannon suggest that these very forces are the ones capable of defending Europe’s civilization of freedom and democracy. According to them, agreement with their claims—and with the policies of the Trump administration—is itself proof of one’s commitment to freedom and democracy・・・・・
This is a skewed argument. Principles of liberty and democracy have a deep and long history. They were mainly developed in Western Europe, though even there democracy tends to degrade into populism, threatening freedom of many people. The principles of freedom and democracy require serious discussion, above all for the sake of humanity itself, free from partisan debate.
Those who are interested in a broader historical perspective on the meaning of freedom and democracy may wish to read my book The World History of Freedom and Democracy: In Search of the Lost Modernity. It was recently published in Japan. Free English translation can be obtained below.
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hiRK7kjbX0Hxd2NOxPqtQlVWgjDHgKCr/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MB0Me9P5Lpa2HGceuJUdMqqQ2CRHQSxa/edit