In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

Hello everyone,
Peace be upon all of you.
Salam Alaykum.
I am very happy to be with you today. When my dear friend Peter told me that the theme of this year’s conference is democracy, I felt true joy. Discussing democracy here at the Halifax Security Forum, a high-level global security gathering, is not symbolic. It reflects a profound shift in how the world now understands the roots of war, conflict, and instability.
Many Western political and security leaders have begun to recognize a truth we have been trying to explain for a very long time:
Democracy is the real foundation of both national and global security.
Sadly, some democracies reached this realization only when democracy itself began to erode within their own borders — when they saw the first signs of authoritarianism emerging at home.
For years we said: Real stability cannot come from dictatorships.
Yet we were met with a false choice:
security or freedom,
stability or democracy —
as if these values cannot live together.
But the truth is clear: the absence of democracy is the greatest threat to both security and stability.
And today the world finally understands that arriving late is better than never arriving.

Why Democracy Matters
Democracy builds stability because it rests on legitimacy, not repression; institutions, not individuals; participation, not exclusion. When people have a voice, they defend their state instead of fighting it.
Democracy prevents crises before they explode by creating peaceful channels for grievances and competition. It guarantees the peaceful transfer of power, which is the most important engine of long-term stability.
It reduces extremism. When people can participate, vote, protest, criticize, and organize freely, the appeal of violence disappears.
It fights corruption through transparency, accountability, and independent institutions.
Authoritarianism does the opposite. It fuels chaos, war, terrorism, and mass displacement.
Any attempt to build security without democracy produces only temporary and fragile stability.
Democracy is not only a moral value — it is a strategic necessity for lasting peace.

The World Today
The world is witnessing rising tensions and collapsing security — not because of people, but because of regimes that despise law, truth, and institutions. Yes, war has many causes, including economic injustice and climate crises, but the primary driver of conflict is authoritarian rule.
It is no coincidence that the major wars of the last century were launched by undemocratic regimes:
Hitler’s Nazi Germany ignited World War II; Mussolini’s Italy invaded its neighbors; Imperial Japan attacked Asia and Pearl Harbor; Stalin’s Soviet Union occupied Eastern Europe; and Saddam Hussein invaded Iran and Kuwait.
And today, Russia, China, and Iran are repeating the same pattern.
In Ukraine, the war would not have happened if Russia were democratic; it is the product of an imperial mindset that views nations as territories to be swallowed.
In Gaza, the West Bank, the Israeli occupation continues unchecked, denying Palestinians their right to self-determination and committing grave war crimes — igniting a firestorm from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.
In Yemen, regional autocracies — Iran through the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE through their hegemony and support for separatist projects — have destroyed the state and torn society apart.
In Sudan, the UAE’s backing of the Rapid Support Forces turned a peaceful revolution into a war of extermination.
In Syria, Bashar al-Assad’s regime killed, displaced, and tortured millions, opening the country to foreign armies and terrorism.
In Venezuela, corruption and repression have driven millions to flee.
And in China, a repressive nationalist model threatens regional and global stability.
Even within democracies, new forms of authoritarianism are emerging. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan occurred when the United States, Britain, and others abandoned their own democratic values. Democracy is not merely a system of government; it is a continuous commitment to the rule of law, human rights, transparency, accountability, and human dignity. When these principles are violated, any state begins to drift toward authoritarianism.
Freedoms are now eroding even in Europe and the United States. We see the tyranny of money controlling media and politics, and the tyranny of populism built on hatred, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and racism — authoritarianism wearing the mask of democracy.

What Should We Do?
We must hold firmly to democracy — our only real defense against global authoritarianism. Democracy is not a slogan; it is freedom of expression, independent courts, separation of powers, social justice, and real accountability.
Democracies must begin by reforming themselves: restrain the influence of money over politics, reject hate speech, stop populism from hollowing out institutions, protect academic freedom and students’ rights, restore trust between people and institutions, ensure judicial independence, and hold officials accountable for abuses of power.
Most importantly, democracies must stop supporting dictators and end the double standards that distinguish between victims and oppressors. Only then can they lead a credible global struggle for freedom and justice.

Ukraine: A Critical Test
The so-called “Trump Plan” is, in essence, a plan to hand Ukraine over and legitimize Putin’s aggression — rewarding him for destroying cities, displacing millions, and annexing territory. Such proposals do not end wars; they embolden Russian fascism and encourage tyrants everywhere.
The West must ensure that Putin gains nothing, and that Ukraine remains fully free, independent, and sovereign within all its borders — from the first kilometer on the Polish frontier to the last centimeter along the Russian border. Ukraine is the first line of defense for all of Europe.

Yemen: The democratic camp must support the Yemeni people against the Houthis and against Iran’s project behind them. Only Yemenis — not bombing and not foreign intervention — can defeat this militia. Yemen’s unity and sovereignty must be protected, and destructive Saudi-Emirati interference must end.
Palestine must achieve its full right to self-determination and statehood. The Israeli occupation must end, and Palestinians must be free to build a democratic state that guarantees dignity, equality, and justice.

Final Message
Democracy wins when it stands with peoples, not tyrants; with justice, not war criminals — when it builds stable states, transparent institutions, fair economies, and open civic spaces.
Dictatorships are defeated when democracy offers an alternative stronger than fear, wider than hatred, and deeper than violence.
The authoritarian camp wins only when democracies fear, imitate, or abandon their values.
But when democracies unite, believe in themselves, and defend their principles, the outcome is always clear:
Democracy prevails. Democracy defeats dictatorships.