We cannot afford to flinch from our responsibility to face and defeat the evils that threaten our way of life, or to indulge in moral equivalence: Not in 2001, and not today. Scripture tells us, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Let us never forget that lesson, and let us remain steadfast in fighting for what is right and just in the face of those who seek to tear our country down.

This week, millions of young Americans are heading off for their first semester in college. How many do you think will be taught that socialism - despite its 100% record of failure - is both practically and morally superior to capitalism? I’d guess maybe around 90% - and this despite the fact that America’s institutions of higher learning would be nonexistent without the economic firepower unleashed by our free market economy.

The rise of radical-Left socialist figures who are flagrantly anti-American and pro-jihadist should concern every American who loves their country. That's not hyperbole: The news out of Michigan last week is a case in point. Abdul El-Sayed has built a public record – in his statements, his affiliations, and the company he keeps – that reveals a worldview that is deeply troubling.

Anthony Fauci’s testimony – or lack thereof – in front of the Senate Homeland Security Committee was a disgraceful new chapter in one of the great scandals in modern history. Fauci’s invocation of his Fifth Amendment right over 100 times was a telling and shameful response to a critical inquiry, and he deserves to be held in contempt for failing to cooperate. For a man who once described himself as “Science” incarnate, what could he possibly have to hide, and why would he not wish to share his knowledge with the American people?

The fact is, we have nearly five decades of experience to confirm that the Islamic Republic is an entirely irredeemable governing entity. Terrorism and vicious hatred of America, Israel, and the West are part of its DNA, and its fundamentalist vision is incompatible with peaceful coexistence with the civilized world. America – and the world – will never be safe if this regime survives in any form.

As a practitioner, I can say confidently: America does not go looking for or create monsters to destroy, nor should it. During my time as Secretary of State, we didn’t start a single war and instead deterred many through American strength. Sometimes when we fight monsters, we do so ineffectively, or half-heartedly, or do not use the correct strategy or tools necessary to defeat them. But the nature of the world and our place in it has made our willingness to fight monsters when they rear their ugly heads an essential guarantor of our security and freedom.

These are not isolated incidents, but indicative of a trend that has spiked across the West in the years since the atrocities of October 7th. And disturbingly, this is taking place against a backdrop of rising antisemitic violence, with assaults against American Jews reportedly reaching a 46-year high.

It should go without saying that the First Amendment freedoms of conscience, religion, and speech are foundational to our constitutional order. The more these rights are eroded, the faster we will find ourselves on a path toward the type of political and social decay afflicting so much of Western Europe.

President Trump’s decision to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over the systematic persecution of Christians is a welcome and much-needed step to protect religious freedom.

The spectacle of Britain, France, Portugal, Canada, and Australia recognizing an independent Palestinian state this week was an exercise in diplomatic fantasy. The conceit? Anything can become a state if enough self-important world leaders wish it to be so – even a territory ruled by genocidal terrorists and lacking a unified, legitimate, and functioning government.

Do preening politicians like Starmer, Macron, or Carney care about the effect that their gambit will have on prospects for peace? Not in the slightest. Because this isn’t about the Palestinian people: It’s about moral grandstanding in the service of the most immoral of causes.

For four years, the Biden Administration sent a clear message to the world: America’s borders are open, and our laws are optional. This communicates weakness and invites provocation. Indeed, this wasn’t just poor policy – it was a dereliction of duty that compromised our national security in ways we’re still discovering. The consequences have been devastating.

Apologists for the terrorists who seek Israel’s destruction are full of excuses for antisemitic speech, harassment, and even violence. By their logic, the Jewish people bear collective responsibility for the actions of the Jewish state; and since they erroneously consider the State of Israel to be fundamentally illegitimate and guilty of any number of crimes, then individuals of Jewish origin become, in their minds, legitimate targets. This evil must be fought on every front.

Seven years ago, President Trump made one of his most consequential foreign policy decisions by withdrawing from the Obama-negotiated Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). As Secretary of State during that pivotal moment, I not only supported this decision—I championed it.  Time has validated what we knew then: It was the right call.

Make no mistake: While the geographic caliphate of ISIS has been destroyed, its ideology lives on. These groups have developed sophisticated recruitment strategies that use social media to radicalize predominantly young men around the world, including inside the United States.