On September 1, 1983, the Soviet Union blew Korean Air Lines flight 007 out of the sky; 269 people died, including Rep. Larry McDonald (D-Ga.).
The Soviet Union insisted that the plane had strayed 200 miles from its scheduled flight plan and entered Soviet airspace — which was true. But they also claimed that the plane was spying on the USSR — which was ridiculous and absolutely false.
President Ronald Reagan called it “an act of barbarism.” The world took a deep breath and wondered how the Gipper would respond.
Today, we often remember Reagan as a sweet, older gentleman from a bygone era, but in his time, he was every bit as hated, feared, and despised by his enemies as Trump is today. According to the left, Ronald Reagan was a violent, trigger-happy cowboy with an apocalyptic bloodlust for the End Days. They were 100% certain that the “Day After Tomorrow” was inevitable — because that rabblerousing rightwinger was gonna trigger World War III.
All he needed was a chance!
And now, in the aftermath of a Soviet air-to-air missile blowing up a civilian airliner, President Reagan had political cover to respond militarily. If he wanted to do so, he could’ve unleashed the hounds of war.
But he didn’t.
This trigger-happy cowboy kept his six-shooters in his holsters. Sure, there was some tit-for-tat diplomatic blowback, but Reagan refused to overplay his hand: He knew that the USSR wasn’t seeking World War III. This wasn’t a game of regional chicken, a la Iran and Israel today; an endless cycle of international one-upmanship.
Instead, the Soviets shot down the plane because they’re incompetent, paranoid, and indifferent to human suffering.
So, Reagan let the incident speak for itself. When the Soviets lied about it, Japan and the United States jointly released an intercepted transcript that proved they were liars.
The loss of life was tragic, but the aftermath was an undeniable PR victory for the West: The contrast between good and evil was obvious.
Roughly 40 years later, history has repeated itself: On Christmas Day, a Russian missile (apparently) downed a civilian airline. To some, this was a clear-cut Russian provocation — and unless Western nations respond forcefully, Putin will interpret our passivity as a green light to escalate even further.
This is the world that Donald Trump will inherit in 24 days.
Reagan didn’t respond militarily because he didn’t have to: He was Ronald freaking Reagan. That’s the benefit to being perceived as a trigger-happy cowboy: Everyone already knows you’ve got a gun.
If Jimmy Carter (or a different Democrat) had won in 1980 and faced the same national emergency, he might’ve overreacted. After the fiasco in Iran and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Democratic brain trust might’ve concluded that a forceful — and escalatory — military response was now politically necessary.
These are the things you worry about when you’re perceived as weak.
But in 1983, Ronald Reagan wasn’t perceived as weak. Neither is Donald Trump today. Both men have the gravitas and authenticity to stand tall — even when they stand down.
That’s the beauty of peace through strength.
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