Ukraine's Valiant Fight Inspires At this Year's Halifax Forum.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia - The Halifax International Security Forum--held the third weekend of November on the shores of the Atlantic in one of Canada's maritime provinces--is a conference for democracy's true believers.

The three-day forum brings together those who think free and fair elections and the governments they form--no matter how messy the process--is the only way forward for humanity. Alliances such as NATO and the less formal Quad in the Pacific--comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India--can be forces for good.

They believe national security is a bipartisan issue. The United States sends a delegation of senators and representatives to the forum every year from both sides of the aisle.

The delegation was once led by the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his family members still participate in the forum. This isn't a confab for the "America First" or isolationist crowd.

While there is a range of topics every year, the overwhelming theme of the 2021 forum was China and the threat it poses to the democracy loving peoples of the world.

What a difference a year can make.

At the 2021 forum, there were a few discussions on Russia and the Ukraine: "Will he, or won't he?" being the main topic. "He" being Vladimir Putin and the question: will he invade Ukraine?

A year later, China was still on the Halifax agenda, as was North Korea, which was lobbing missiles over the Pacific, and Iran, where street protests against the theocracy were in their fourth week. However, Ukraine dominated the agenda and conversations in the hallways--literally.

"Why won't the U.S. send Gray Eagles to Ukraine?" one participant asked me as I was walking down the hallway to my hotel room after a session. "So what if Russia captures one and sends it to Iran. It's 15-year-old technology. Who cares?"

There were some 20 participants from Ukraine at this year's forum, along with taped or video feeds of leaders still in Kyiv.

The forum's president Peter Van Praagh set the tone for the conference in his opening remarks.

"It was Ukraine's fight that gave us our unity of purpose. Had Ukraine surrendered, as some European leaders urged President Zelenskyy to do, it's not difficult to imagine where we would be now: a much-weakened Europe, a divided NATO, a humbled America--all confronting an empowered Russia backed by a smiling Xi Jinping. That is not where we are. Quite the opposite," he said.

"Because of Ukrainian sacrifice, Ukrainian courage and Ukrainian...