Dear critical reader, listening to the BBC news report on the US Peace Plan for Ukraine earlier today, I was struck by the eerie similarities between the appeasement and naivety model adopted by Lord Chamberlain and the approach of the Trump administration.

They're juxtaposed with the farsighted, Churchillian no-surrender model of leadership being demonstrated by today's European leaders and the Ukrainian people as they resist the deceitful and murderous Russian dictator, President Putin.

The parallels are disturbing, given the devastating consequences of history's infamous acts of appeasement. If a leader similar to Trump had led America during WW2, Hitler would've prevailed – and God knows what the post-WW2 world would've looked like. It doesn't bear thinking.

The broadcast also carried the harrowing tale of a young Kenyan man lured to Russia with promises of a university basketball career, only to find himself deployed to a frontline unit collecting dead Russian soldiers for mass burial.

Wounded and escaping from hospital, he returned home with a stark warning: Russia isn't a place he'd send even his worst enemy to. Telling. Very.

His story underscores the dangers of desperation and deceit that prey on the vulnerable.

Africa's leaders must stop siphoning off public monies to offshore bank accounts and incentivise ethically anchored private entrepreneurs using the social impact business model to create wealth that remains local and generates jobs galore for their people. Haaba.

As the world contends with aggression by bad-faith and murderous warmongers in conflicts in Africa, Europe, Myanmar and elsewhere on the planet, Ukraine's brave people show that conviction matters in standing up to murderous dictators like Putin.

Their stand against aggression echoes Churchill's spirit, demonstrating that surrender isn't an option when freedom is at stake. Bravo to them!

Finally, dear critical reader, when one reflects on all the above, it begs the question: Will today's AI-era leaders learn from history or will the lessons of the past continue to be ignored at a time when AI-bedrocked drone warfare could destroy humanity in a WW3? Leadership wisdom is called for at this pivotal juncture in human history. A word to the wise...

Kofi Thompson is a Ghanaian writer with a unique perspective on international affairs.