Where do disgraced dictators and fugitive tyrants go when their regimes collapse? Increasingly, the answer lies in Moscow. Under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, Russia has solidified itself as a haven for fallen autocrats—those whose crimes and corruption leave them exiled but still valuable in the Kremlin’s geopolitical game.

The unexpected downfall of the Assad regime in Syria has reverberated throughout the Middle East, representing a significant blow to Russia's geopolitical ambitions in the area. This volatile environment fosters further instability, and Russia, with its opportunistic foreign policy, is already scouting for new avenues to extend its influence - Libya beware!

As we get closer to a new American Presidency and increased talk of how to end the war in Ukraine, we must not forget the reason we need to continue our support for Ukraine. The conflict in Ukraine, ignited by Russia's unprovoked invasion, is not merely a regional dispute. It's a pivotal moment in history, a test of the global order and the principles of territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

The dominos are falling in the favor of evil and we must not continue to ignore the conflicts caused by legacy and ego-obsessed authoritarians and must stop the next domino before a new world order arrives where freedom is no longer the norm. Waiting is far more dangerous than acting decisively with effective deterrence now!

Spending much of my time here, I always feel like I am teetering between overbearing collectivism and out-of-control individualism, between the past and the present, and between Ukraine and a Russia that constantly meddles in internal politics.

Ambiguity in a world with leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) will inevitably lead to them bringing their version of certainty to the conflicts and regions filled with ambiguity — and it is critical that democratic nations around the world not allow this to happen. Certainty, where and when there is none, must be defined by democratic nations, and not those whose interests are counter to freedom, fairness and human rights.

Every country has the fundamental right to set their own domestic and foreign policy. But when the actions of leaders clothed in the regalia of tyranny and oppression imperil the basic human rights of their citizens and when their actions impact the state of world affairs and the safety and security of another country and by extension the world as a whole – as in the case of a dictator like Putin - governments and defenders of the free world must speak up and act.

If we support the strong leaders of today, the legacy of the leadership values of those we have lost, and nurture future leaders, I have no doubt that the world will pull back from the precipice and instead find “peace, progress, and prosperity”.

To make change, real change, love is the driving force. History has proven this and so will the future. We must embrace it, and not be scared of it. It is the only emotion that can truly save our world.

This seems simple but sometimes the simplest solutions are the hardest. Integration is not easy – whether it is social, religious or personal. It is easy to be divided – it is hard to be united.

During these challenging times, the world needs a unifying purpose. Though we might think the grand issues -- the environment, human rights, universal living wage, military reduction, and government accountability — would be that unifier. But such issues actually divide us – everyone has their own definition of what the answer is to these challenges.

The realization of one’s potential, that self-confidence, the trust in yourself is the tipping point to a safer, more secure and stable, prosperous world. But it is up to each of us, in our small way, to foster that tipping point.

On this important day, we should take solace in the fact that despite the immense challenges of protecting elephants globally from extinction, there is hope that the bulwark is growing stronger as evidenced by what is happening in Myanmar – a country at the precipice of a frontier of uncertainties.

That is where the people come into the equation. They must be on the front lines of protecting those that can’t protect themselves. They are the ones having to remind our lawmakers what cruelty is. They are the ones who give selflessly of their time, their pocket books and their emotions.

Even though we can’t always foresee the dangers that lie ahead there are many times that we can. As the great Roman, Marcus Aurelius said, “[l]ook back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.”

Terrorism, climate change, social injustice, and economic uncertainty are just a handful of the challenges the world is confronting. Global issues are no longer something that can be ignored. Isolationism is no longer an option.

But trying to protect the sanctity of a party whose sanctity is based on a political philosophy that doesn’t represent a majority of Americans isn’t an issue reserved just for Republicans, it is a systematic problem that holds true for Democrats as well.

Democracy. It is considered the ideal way of governing, a pathway to freedom – politically, spiritually and economically. It is the rallying cry for new and developing countries around the world. But even though it is fraught with corruption, greed, racism, apathy and anger - all other forms of government have been tested and have failed.