In my last note note, I remarked that much of the criticism directed at various tyrannies is not, in truth, born of compassion for the peoples who suffer under them. Rather, it stems from the frustration of Western liberals who resent that they are not the ones exercising the tyranny.
Closely tied to this is a logical error so pervasive, it borders on the unbelievable.
We are often told to compare, for instance, the standard of living in the Czech Republic with that of France. From this comparison arises the conclusion that life in France is superior, and thus, if only we were to bind ourselves more closely to France, we too would enjoy such prosperity. To become a close ally of France, the argument runs, is to become a little bit French. And herein lies the fallacy.
There exists no conceivable path by which the Czech Republic could become France. Above all, France herself would never permit the emergence of a second France. In our relationship with her, we have but two possibilities: to remain an independent nation, or to become a French colony. There is no third option.
It is therefore erroneous—indeed, absurd—to argue for alliance on the basis of living standards. The proper comparison is not between the life of Czechs and that of the French, but between Czechs and France’s colonial subjects. Do we wish to resemble New Caledonia? Then by all means, let us cleave to France. If not, we must hold our distance.
The same error is made when comparing the United States and Russia. Even if the standard of living in America were vastly higher—which it is not—that would provide no argument for drawing Russia into Washington’s orbit. The correct comparison is between Russia and America’s dependencies. At best, what Russians could hope for, under American tutelage, is the fate of Haiti: poverty, violence, and a steady unraveling of order—as they discovered bitterly in the 1990s. Conversely, were America to fall under Russian dominion, it would not resemble the environs of Moscow, but the bleak and forgotten lands of Transnistria.
This logical error—or, in some cases, deliberate deceit—explains why the notion of “belonging to the West” ends, inevitably, in catastrophe.