Spotlighting Those Who Served
On Memorial Day, we’re thinking about our active service members, veterans, and those who have died for their country.
As the publisher of The Next Move, the Renew Democracy Initiative recognizes the unique role of the military in a free society.
There are any number of bad guys eager to use violence to break our democratic institutions and liberal traditions. Our armed forces have to be sufficiently effective to ward them off. At the same time, the military must be answerable to our elected officials—however imperfect the politicians might be.
RDI maintains an entire program—the Peace and Dialogue Leadership Initiative—dedicated to connecting West Point cadets with civilian college students to navigate these nuances. At The Next Move, we’re also amplifying the experiences of our veterans, whose experiences can help inform the pro-democracy camp’s strategic vision.
In that spirit, we’re sharing a roundup of our content featuring Americans who have served:
Thank you for this excellent piece! I follow and admire these heroes. I appreciate their perspectives.
But I still have no idea how the USA or any democracy survives a reign of destruction like the Republican Party today, particularly the size of ours (we cannot occupy the streets as they do in EU countries like Serbia or France). Divided we fall, and we are not just falling but being pounded into the ground by those who have taken power through various unsavory means. Like lying. (Because a dictator's rule is NEVER benevolent or useful to the people ruled.)
Thank you for the timeliness of this piece and its honesty. I have termed the American Republican party: Republicant Party for the clarity of its MO.