Americans watching the world this week should feel anger and resolve in equal measure. From brave Iranians fighting for freedom to tense diplomatic sparring over Greenland and fresh clashes in Syria, the global stage is reminding patriotic citizens why a strong America and clear leadership matter. We should stand with the oppressed, defend our strategic interests, and call out appeasement when we see it.
Activists say Elon Musk’s Starlink has quietly begun offering free service inside Iran, giving protesters a lifeline after the regime slammed down a near-total internet blackout that began on January 8. The blackout and the regime’s bloody response have made outside reporting difficult, even as activists and rights groups say thousands have been killed and detained in the crackdown.
This is the kind of technology conservatives should applaud when it helps citizens bypass tyranny and tell the truth to the world. If reports that Starlink has opened a window to the outside are true, then private-sector innovation is doing what weak international institutions often fail to do: protecting human dignity and information freedom. The Iranian regime’s attempts to jam and seize equipment only prove that free information is the regime’s real enemy.
Meanwhile, President Trump is right to shout from the rooftops that Greenland is strategically vital and that anything less than American leadership there is unacceptable for our national security. The Arctic is no place for complacency while China and Russia circle and global supply lines shift; boldness, not groveling, secures American advantage.
Vice President JD Vance hosting Danish and Greenlandic officials shows that Washington means business, and the U.S. must treat alliances with both firmness and respect. If our leaders are serious about defending the homeland and our supply chains for critical minerals, they must press hard while remembering that American strength often persuades more than it coerces.
On the battlefield in Syria, Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led fighters exchanged strikes near Aleppo, a reminder that instability still poisons the Middle East and that America must keep a steady eye on terrorist havens and fragile power balances. No casualties have been reported so far, but escalation is dangerous and predictable when regional powers smell weakness.
This is a moment for conservatives to be unapologetically American: support the brave Iranians demanding liberty, back a robust Arctic policy that protects U.S. interests, and insist on decisive measures to prevent explosions in war zones like Syria. Weakness invites trouble; strength and principled action give ordinary people a chance at freedom and keep America secure.
