"We began by letting the world know what we stood for once again. Winston Churchill said of his service in World War II, the nation ``had the lion's heart. I had the luck to give the roar.'' Well, America is the lion's heart of democracy. We have an obligation to give that democracy a voice, even an occasional roar.
For too long our nation had been moot to the injustices of totalitarianism. So we began speaking out against chemical warfare; inflicted on the people of Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, against broken treaties, against the denial of human liberties. We began speaking out for freedom and democracy and the values that all of us share in our hearts.
Now some critics said that this was a return to the rhetoric of the past. Well, if that's the case, then Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn and all those who've suffered to speak the truth are my compatriots, and I'm honored to be counted among them. This nation cannot simply ignore the suffering of oppressed peoples and remain true to our basic strengths and principles. We cannot follow a foreign policy based on the self-delusion that problems would not exist if we did not mention them. We cannot abdicate our obligation to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.
And, you know, it's amazing. In my meetings with foreign leaders and their ministers, they've told me how good it is to know what the United States stands for once again. They may not always agree with us, but they respect us. And there's a growing recognition abroad that America once again will stand up for her democratic ideals. Our country is the leader of the free world, and today it is providing that leadership." Ronald Reagan - August 15, 1983
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