Sen. Ted Cruz: ‘Our President Should Have Been There’

5 minute read
Ideas
Cruz is the junior U.S. Senator for Texas.

On Sunday, leaders representing Europe, Israel, Africa, Russia, and the Middle East linked arms and marched together down Place de la Concorde in Paris. But, sadly, no one from the White House was found among the more than 40 Presidents and Prime Ministers who walked the streets with hundreds of thousands of French citizens demonstrating their solidarity against radical Islamic terrorists.

The absence is symbolic of the lack of American leadership on the world stage, and it is dangerous. The attack on Paris, just like previous assaults on Israel and other allies, is an attack on our shared values. And, we are stronger when we stand together, as French President François Hollande said, for “liberty, equality, and fraternity.”

Radical Islamic terrorists are targeting all of those who do not share their radical ideology, escalating their attacks in shocking ways.

In the last year alone, the world has become a much more dangerous place for Westerners, as terrorists have deliberately aimed their campaign of murder against those, most notably innocent civilians, who represent a free and open society.

We witnessed American, British, and Israeli aid workers and journalists savagely beheaded by ISIS in Syria.

We saw a sympathizing radical attack the Canadian parliament.

We saw Hamas terrorists butchering Israeli-American rabbis in their Jerusalem synagogue while they went about their morning prayers.

We saw New York policemen attacked by an axe-wielding terrorist.

We saw commuters in Sydney held captive for hours in a coffee shop by yet another radical Islamist.

And, now we have all watched, horrified, as a pair of al Qaeda terrorists attacked a satirical newspaper in Paris and executed 10 members of its staff and two of the policemen who came to their defense.

That same day, one of their co-conspirators shot a police woman and a jogger, then the next day attacked a kosher grocery store to terrorize Jewish patrons preparing for what they had hoped would be a peaceful Shabbat. By the time the siege was over, four more innocents were dead.

Aid workers, members of the media, government, cafés, law enforcement, Christians, Jews, and even other Muslims—these are the targets of radical Islamists. They want to destroy civil society.

Their grievances are not against any particular government or policy; they are offended by the very notion of a free society where individuals have the right to worship, vote, and express themselves as they please—rights that are defended by security forces whose job is not to persecute or coerce citizens, but to protect them.

Our freedoms are anathema to the radical Islamists, and they are willing to sacrifice their very lives to attack us with anything from meat cleavers to Kalashnikovs—anything to terrorize us into submitting to their brutal, totalitarian, warped version of Islam.

Our choice now is either to confront this intolerable threat to our liberty, or to continue to respond to the attacks as if they are isolated incidents that we might be able to prevent if we would only stop somehow “provoking” them.

If events in Paris teach us anything, it is the utter failure of the latter approach. It has not made things better. It has made them worse.

It is not Israel’s fault, or the fault of the Jews of Paris or Jerusalem.

It is not the fault of journalists or aid workers trying to document or lend assistance to the cruel civil war in Syria. It is not the NYPD’s fault.

It is not Charlie Hebdo’s fault.

It is not the fault of the commuters of Sydney, nor the freely elected government of Canada, any more than it was the fault of the runners in the Boston Marathon or the soldiers of Fort Hood in my home state of Texas—or for that matter of the 3,000 people who died on that sunny September day in 2001.

It is not the fault of America.

The scourge of radical Islamic terrorism is the exclusive fault of those who launch the attacks.

We must, as Americans, demand that our nation summon the will to stand up and lead the effort.

Recently, the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a Muslim, gave a remarkable speech at Al-Azhar University in Cairo in which he challenged peaceful Muslims to confront what is happening to their religion—to stand up those who would twist faith into a mandate to murder.

This is where we can find our strength—by coordinating closely with our allies who are fighting this common threat. We can reject attempts to draw a moral equivalence between our friends and those who support or condone the terrorists. Instead, we should condemn and shun state sponsors of terrorism. We should encourage Muslim nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia to join us and aspire to freedom in their own societies.

And, we should make it clear to the radical Islamic terrorists that the United States is not going to simply “move on” from Paris in the hopes that they will leave us alone, but rather that we are going to call them out by name as we stand strong and lead the fight against them.

Many of our allies gathered together in Paris yesterday in an admirable display of determination. Our President should have been there, because we must never hesitate to stand with our allies. We should never hesitate to speak the truth. In Paris or anywhere else in the world.

Cruz is the junior U.S. Senator for Texas.

Large Crowds Rally Against Terrorism in Paris After Attacks

Thousands of people gather at Republique square in Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
Thousands of people gather at Place de la République in Paris, Jan. 11, 2015. Peter Dejong—AP
French President Francois Hollande is surrounded by head of states including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Donald Tusk and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they attend the solidarity march in the streets of Paris Jan. 11, 2015.
French President Francois Hollande is surrounded by head of states including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Council President Donald Tusk and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they attend the solidarity march in the streets of Paris Jan. 11, 2015. Philippe Wojazer—Reuters
Demonstrators make their way along Boulevrd Voltaire in a unity rally in Paris following the recent terrorist attacks on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.
Demonstrators make their way along Boulevrd Voltaire in a unity rally in Paris following the recent terrorist attacks on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.Christopher Furlong—Getty Images
which has become a symbol for the cartoonists and editors killed at Charlie Hebdo
A man holds a pencil, which has become a symbol for the cartoonists and editors killed at Charlie Hebdo, as he takes part in a solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015. Eric Gaillard—Reuters
Families and relatives walk and hold banners reading 'Charlie' during a march to honor victims of the terrorist attacks and show unity, in Paris, Jan.11, 2015.
Families and relatives walk and hold banners reading 'Charlie' during a march to honor victims of the terrorist attacks and show unity, in Paris, Jan.11, 2015. Julien WarnandJ—EPA
Demonstrators make their way along Place de la République during a mass unity rally following the recent terrorist attacks on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.
Demonstrators make their way along Place de la République during a mass unity rally following the recent terrorist attacks on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.Dan Kitwood—Getty Images
A man holds a giant pencil, which has become a symbol for the cartoonists and editors killed at Charlie Hebdoas as he takes part in the solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
A man holds a giant pencil, which has become a symbol for the cartoonists and editors killed at Charlie Hebdo, as as he takes part in the solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015. Stephane Mahe—Reuters
People gather at the Place de la Nation in Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
People gather at the Place de la Nation in Paris, Jan. 11, 2015. Yoan Valat—EPA
A balloon reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) is held at Place de la Bastille during the solidarity march on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.
A balloon reading "Je suis Charlie" (I am Charlie) is held at Place de la Bastille during the solidarity march on Jan. 11, 2015 in Paris.Joel Saget—AFP/Getty Images
A general view shows hundreds of thousands of French citizens taking part in a solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015.
A general view shows hundreds of thousands of French citizens taking part in a solidarity march in the streets of Paris, Jan. 11, 2015. Eric Gaillard—Reuters

Read next: Twitter Hacking Gives Pentagon a Black Eye

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com

TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.