Political analyst and author Doug Schoen told Newsmax TV it is time for the United States to stand up taller in the face of authoritarianism and live by our values.
During an interview on "The Joe Pags Show," Schoen — author of the new book "Collapse: A World in Crisis and the Urgency of American Leadership" — said the U.S. needs to act like a world superpower again.
"We're only gonna succeed together," he said. "If we can't conquer our common adversaries as one nation, one people, we will lose. We'll lose to authoritarians like the Russians and the Chinese, which is the point of my new book.
"We need to strengthen NATO, we need to strengthen our relations in Asia . . . and I would love somebody, as you were saying, Pags, to talk about human rights in China. Xinjiang Province. A million people in detention camps; that's outrageous. Where is America? Where is our voice? We will not defeat authoritarianism without an articulate assertion of our values, which are freedom, liberty, democracy."
Regarding the Korean peninsula, Schoen predicted President Donald Trump will fall short of coming to an agreement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the reclusive nation could join the international club of nuclear powers.
"I don't think we're going to get a denuclearized Korean peninsula," he said. "I am worried that this is more rhetoric than action and that we will find that the negotiations will break down and a nuclear North Korea will be as powerful and aggressive and assertive as they've ever been."
The answer to the North Korea problem, Schoen said, lies with China.
"We should be putting pressure on the Chinese, [Kim's] sponsors, and basically say to them, 'if you can't get him under control, you ought to turn the lights off in North Korea,'" Schoen said.
Schoen, a Democrat, also addressed the 2020 presidential campaign. To date, nearly 20 Democrats have thrown their hat into the ring. That figure is expected to grow, particularly with former Vice President Joe Biden ready to jump in.
"As for the Democrats, goodness gracious. Most of the candidates, with the exception of Biden at this point, are people I couldn't support," Schoen said.
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