April 25, 2024, marked the 50th anniversary of the 1974 non-violent Carnation Revolution in Portugal: a joyful anniversary marking the end of the authoritarian “New State” dictatorship that had been in power for over 40 years. Not all Portuguese, however,… Read More
As war rages in Ukraine, the specter of a new era of captive nations looms across Europe’s frontline. This fear is something I knew all too well growing up under Soviet control in occupied Lithuania. My homeland’s oppression and march for independence is also why I know that we must continue to stand with the people of Ukraine—before it is too late.
If any event exemplifies the perverse essence of the Castro brothers’ gangster regime, the sinking of the “13 de Marzo” tugboat in July 1994 would undoubtedly be one of the most infamous, despite the long list of crimes committed by Cuba’s communist dictatorship.
July 11th, 2021, will be remembered as a pivotal day in the fight against Communism. On this day, thousands of Cubans took to the streets in an unprecedented demonstration that echoed across nearly every corner of the island. With speakers blaring the song “Patria y Vida” (“Homeland and Life”)—a direct challenge to the Cuban regime’s motto, “Homeland or Death”—many Cubans demonstrated for the first time in their lives.
As NATO leaders convene in my hometown of Washington, D.C. this month amid war in Europe, I find myself reflecting on the Alliance’s profound personal impact. Although Washington is now my home, I was born in Soviet-controlled Ukraine, a Captive Nation under the Iron Curtain.
Since the Chinese People’s Liberation Army marched into East Turkistan, now named the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in 1949 and occupied the land, Uyghurs have lived in constant fear and oppression, with their calendars marked by continual tragedy. The Urumchi… Read More
Remembering an outbreak of freedom in Europe and a crackdown in China 35 years ago “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens famous words could be applied to the massive developments that rocked… Read More
The repression of Muslim Uyghurs in China is a continuation of decades of harsh communist treatment of the faith, write VOC’s Dr. Eric Patterson alongside Rushan Abbas.
VOC’s President and CEO, Dr. Eric Patterson, writes for Providence Magazine on the UN’s International Day of Conscience, urging the UN to use the day as an opportunity to stand against communism and all other forms of totalitarianism.
VOC’s Eric Patterson and Ken Pope argue that the United States is locked in a new Cold War-style ideological struggle with our adversaries — authoritarianism and communism versus the Western liberal order — and that we need to catch up,… Read More
