Anyone living in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, including myself, has seen firsthand how a nation's security and peace can shatter overnight due to the actions of powerful and often lawless individuals shielded from punishment due to the flaws in the international legal system. 

The Russian Federation, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has attacked Ukraine, a UN member, with the intention to eliminate the country, as the world stood by, paralyzed. If Russia succeeds in its unmotivated war of aggression, no country will be safe, as any of the permanent members of the Security Council of the UN (China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States) can veto, or silence, any government trying to raise a voice, seeking protection, during an invasion. Modern democracies with no territorial claims are not the focus here, but the nuclear dictatorships with territorial claims against their weaker neighbors, like China and the Russian Federation, pose a clear and present danger to their neighboring states, and both being nuclear states, to humanity.

Before the current rules-based world order collapses due to inaction from well-meaning but ineffective governments calling for peace while doing nothing to stop wars, there is an opportunity to establish legal, valid mechanisms for bringing the perpetrators of wars of aggression accountable. The guilty are not nations, but people, so nations can stay friendly while taking steps to restrain the individuals who pose threat to their nation and the world.

Current efforts are welcome but not enough. The International Court of Justice has issued an arrest warrant for the President of the Russian Federation,​ Vladimir Putin. Yet, the Court is powerless to enforce the warrant, and the criminal responsibility it seeks is only for the deportation of children, only one of the countless crimes committed by the dictator in connection with the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.

Some former dictators and war criminals like Slobodan Milosevich have been convicted and trialed by war crimes courts; others like Muammar Gaddafi have been the subject of "street justice." Unfortunately, dictators who are war criminals are usually stopped when their governments collapse, so many are still at large.

To survive and thrive, humanity must do better, so each one citizen of humanity needs to get proactive. Since "humanity" is diverse and each individual isn't very powerful, nation-states can at least do what's in their legal power to defend their citizens.

The United States, for example, is operating a Rewards for Justice program that combats foreign-linked interference in U.S. elections, foreign-directed malicious cyber activities, and international terrorism.

It would be best to establish a global rewards program to combat international terrorism, war crimes, cybercrime, etc. but smaller countries like Ukraine can each individually start with their own, national programs.

Establishing a Ukrainian Rewards for Justice Program is an audacious, yet achievable goal. This program will encourage cooperation among nations, groups, and individuals to capture malicious people who threaten Ukraine and humanity, but abuse the current international and national legal loopholes to remain out of reach, thereby promoting global peace and security.

The Ukrainian Rewards for Justice Program can be funded by public-private partnerships modeled on United24. Ukraine's volunteer movement has demonstrated that for a just cause, many individuals can and do join in to provide legitimacy and support to great causes.

The first, marquee reward could expediently fulfill the International Criminal Court's outstanding arrest warrant against Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin - a move that could act as a powerful deterrent to all dictators and malicious actors that no person, however powerful, is immune from justice.

Finally, this rewards program isn't simply about capturing international criminals—it sends a resounding message that the international community stands unified against any form of terror. It strengthens our commitment to peace and gives hope to those in regions troubled by violence and conflict.

Please sign this petition. Demonstrate your commitment to international peace and security, and let's work together to send a powerful message that terror will not go unpunished. By joining us, you can be part of a movement pushing for the change that we all desperately need.