I learned over a two-decade diplomatic career serving on four continents that whatever the relative size and power of our countries, even our allies don’t like to be preached to.

Countries we were attempting to win over—or for whose affections we were competing with China and others—are even more sensitive.

What makes sense is to focus on common interests, and to promote enduring U.S. values, such as free speech, free and fair elections, equal rights, and the rule of law. Beyond that, we should leave other societies to develop in their own way and at their own pace.