More than thirty years back the Soviet Union dissolved…or so we thought.

Fifteen republics broke up into separate countries. But much of the underlying control structures and mentality and motos operendai remained.

We see it functioning just under the surface even today.

For there to be true progress now, the underlying framework and attitudes must be addressed, it all must be dismantled, and the attitudes and approaches must be changed.

Vladimir Putin and his ilk have brought us to the brink of World War III.

We cannot let evil, authoritarian ways prevail. We must stand for freedom and democracy and peace.

We must stand up, and stand together. And pull the curtain down before it goes up. Pull it down for good. Let the Russian people, let the Ukrainian people show us the way.

As a political scientist and historian, I know this is a complicated path, and I know it’s not likely to play out in the manner we want.

As an optimist I can’t hope for any other outcome.