with that i yield back. mr. jeffries. i did not serve in the military, but my 81-year-old father did. he was an air force veteran stationed in germany during the height of the cold war in the late 1950s. he was a teenager from inner city newark, a stranger in a foreign land serving on the western side of the berlin wall. my dad proudly wore the uniform because he swore an oath to the constitution and believed in american democracy. i believe in american democracy we remain the last best hope on earth. it is in that spirit that we proceed today. professor karlan, in america we believe in free and fair elections. is that correct? yes, it is. but authoritarian regimes do not. is that right? that s correct.