How Do Drag Shows Advance U.S. National Security?

Left unexplained is how drag-queen shows enhance American national security or advance our interests—let alone why U.S. taxes should pay for it. Meanwhile, a Chinese consortium controls the two largest copper mines in Ecuador. A lot of good drag theater will do when we can’t find enough copper for essential manufacturing.

This moment of diplomatic idiocy pairs nicely with the Biden administration’s request earlier this year for $2.6 billion to export woke ideology in the form of “gender equity and equality” around the world.

In another cringeworthy example of the State Department’s woke virtue signaling, the U.S. Embassy in Budapest tweeted a “Who said it?” quiz that asked Hungarians to guess whether various statements had been made by

Vladimir Putin

or a Hungarian politician.

A “downright barbaric ideology is gaining ground,” one quote began, “originating in U.S. universities, which denies all the value that humanity has created.” This supposedly scurrilous statement, with which many Americans would agree, was uttered by Hungary’s deputy prime minister—a thoughtcrime that the U.S. Embassy implies puts him on par with a global pariah.

These are grade-school antics, not the projection of American power. When the U.S. has issues with foreign leaders, it should deal with them through adult diplomacy. Instead, our diplomatic efforts under President Biden, a self-styled foreign-policy expert, could be summed up as “anyone I don’t like is Putin.”

Hungary beefed up NATO’s eastern flank with military deployments after Russia invaded Ukraine and has absorbed masses of Ukrainian refugees this year. But instead of encouraging Hungary to continue bolstering these efforts, the Biden administration ridicules its leaders for being justifiably repulsed by the woke ideology of American universities.

During the Trump administration, one of us (Mr. Sims) asked the ambassador of a Five Eyes ally why he was confident that his country would stay aligned with the U.S. in the face of increasing Chinese aggression. He replied with a single word: values.

Woke ideology frustrates and confuses allies and undermines our strength by attacking the very values on which America is built. To reclaim America’s role in the world, we must lead by example. American foreign policy must have as strong a moral core as the American people. Our leaders need to understand that our strength abroad emanates from our best traditions at home—strong families, patriotism, grit and determination, and a military that our service members and citizens can be proud of.

Throughout the Trump administration, our National Security Strategy focused on the values of “principled realism,” acknowledging that “the American way of life cannot be imposed upon others,” but asserting that “advancing American principles spreads peace and prosperity.” These American principles included a respect for national sovereignty, a realistic view of global competition and the limits of U.S. capabilities, and a total confidence in America’s ability to be a force for good in the world.

America’s traditions made our culture the envy of the world. They also helped the U.S. build alliances and, when necessary, win wars. Ideological indulgences like drag shows only drive away allies. It’s time to stop pushing destructive woke ideology on the rest of the world and bring sanity back to American diplomacy.

Mr. Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence, 2020-21. Mr. Sims served as deputy director of national intelligence for strategy and communications, 2020-21.