As both a proud Reagan conservative and as an American patriot, I am deeply troubled by our nation slipping from its responsibilities as the leader of the free world. Russia and Hamas both represent terrorist entities. Disengaging from the world stage and thinking it’s “none of our business” is a position that a man lionized by every conservative American like President Ronald Reagan would never embrace. Russia’s horrific crimes against the Ukrainian people are inexcusable and unjustified. I am both embarrassed by the Biden administration’s slow and weak response, and by the so-called Republicans who embrace the same foreign policy views that radical leftist Democrats had during the Bush administration and think we should allow Putin to do as he wills.

Make no mistake about it, these two conflicts are linked. If Putin can take Ukraine, or even a chunk of it, who is to say he will stop there? If this is not a green light for the Chinese Communist Party to invade Taiwan, then what is? The Russian Federation under the rule of Vladimir Putin and his cronies is a terrorist state. There is no way to sugarcoat it. They are responsible for the needless deaths and suffering of many Ukrainians. In my mind this war must end only one way, with Russia responsible for paying a large portion of the rebuilding costs, a retreat from all internationally recognized Ukrainian territory, and the surrender of all war criminals for trial. We should keep an array of options on the table for how this should be achieved. Using our strength as a deterrent would have saved many lives, something which the current “leadership” has failed spectacularly to accomplish. It is true that Russia is a terrorist state armed with nuclear weapons, but nonetheless, they must not be allowed to succeed.

Last week we saw the beyond-appalling UN general assembly vote, where 143 nations voted to recognize a “country” run by a weak and permanent anti-Semitic president on one hand, and a terrorist group that murdered 1,200+ innocent people in cold blood on the other. Shame on any government that would vote “yes” on this resolution. For those who say Israel should not proceed with its operation in Rafah, what is their plan to dismantle Hamas? Unfortunately, war is a messy business where innocent people are caught in the crossfire and killed. They should be blaming the Islamist terrorists running Gaza for using their own people intentionally as human shields, and demand they turn over all hostages and surrender, but instead there are many around the world who continue to wrongfully place the blame on Israel.

Let us not forget that groups like Hamas and Hezb’allah are Iranian proxies, a country which also happens to be supplying weapons to Russia that they are using to continue their relentless criminal war against Ukraine. The only acceptable outcome to the War in Gaza is to eliminate Hamas as thoroughly as possible. They can never be permitted to hold an inkling of power ever again. For those who criticize, condemn, or blame the only truly democratic and prosperous country in the Middle East, I say that they stand against everything that Americans and freedom-loving people everywhere are supposed to believe in.

Whatever financial expenses we are incurring or will continue to incur aiding both Israel and Ukraine are a pittance compared to the consequences of allowing evil to triumph. We are adding $1 trillion to the federal debt every three months. $100 billion invested to continue this fight (and keeping Taiwan in mind) is money more than well spent. However, I do not feel it is enough, and we need strong and decisive leadership now more than ever. The war on terror never ended. Instead, many people have short memories and were lulled into a sense of complacency.

Biden’s hasty and foolhardy retreat from Afghanistan was a signal to the world that America is willing to admit defeat and to allow evil to triumph. Whether it’s Russia or Iran, North Korea, Hamas, or perhaps CCP China in the future, we must stand resolute. As President Reagan once said, "We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression." If we allow this to be a weak and isolationist nation, one that shies away from the leadership responsibilities it has had since defeating the twin evils of Nazi Germany and Japan in the Second World War, then this will be a very dark time for humanity. My resolve and convictions remain unchanged. We must take back a mantle of leadership on the world stage, and the global Axis of Evil, in whatever form it may take, must be defeated. 

Ajay Bruno is a media and political strategist who has worked on behalf of a range of clients, including the Indian Ambassador to the US, the Polish Consulate-General in NYC, FreedomWorks, and The Federalist Society.

Image: Pexels/Serhii Bondarchuk