Russia has struggled in its invasion of Ukraine. That does not mean it will lose.

Democracy does not disappear by accident. Instead, all over the world, we are witnessing deliberate attempts by antidemocratic actors to weaken civil society, cripple the rule of law and activate social fragmentation.

Ukraine has surprised the world with its ability to hold back Russian aggression. Yet its success in doing so appears to be prompting Western leaders to expand their goals for the war in ways that may carry extraordinary, underappreciated risk.

The Biden administration’s massive $33 billion aid request for Ukraine is the latest initiative in the effort to provide weaponry needed by Ukraine to fend off the Russian invasion of their country. But the sheer size of the package, coupled with recent administration statements that suggest the U.S. goal has shifted from helping defend Ukraine to “weakening Russia,” provide cause for concern.

As the war in Ukraine has proceeded, U.S. officials have continued to be chatty. The thing is, they have started to say things that threaten to undermine U.S. foreign policy, particularly with respect to U.S. goals in assisting Ukraine.

Banning abortion nationwide and narrowing the scope of women’s and gay rights are popular among Republicans, but they don’t have the votes or legal ammunition.

Afghanistan is a bleeding wound in the heart of humanity. Afghan civilians, especially women and children, are victims of a protracted, bloody conflict that started some 40 years ago.

Although there probably is no one cause of this war, it is still important to try to understand the various factors that led to it.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a subpanel of the Senate Appropriations Committee that the Pentagon is closely watching its inventories and working with the defense industry to replenish weapons such as Javelin and Stinger missiles as soon as possible.

Collectively, we all have a responsibility to do our part as their new “band of brothers” to help service members and their families navigate a new and unfamiliar battlefield. By leveraging existing data and technology, coupled with our great treatment and prevention programs, we can meet them at the point of struggle more quickly, which in turn can create better outcomes.