As someone who comes from Latvia, I have always looked at America through a different lens.
My country spent more than fifty years under Soviet occupation. On paper, communism promised equality, prosperity and a better life for everyone. Reality could not have been more different. It brought censorship, fear, shortages of everyday goods, alcoholism, poverty, and the destruction of initiative. Thousands of Latvians were deported to Siberia, and generations grew up without freedom. I was actually born in the Soviet Union. Although I was young when Latvia regained its independence, I still remember what my country looked like throughout the 1990s. Roads were falling apart. Buildings and bridges were deteriorating. Many families struggled to make ends meet.
Yet something remarkable happened. Despite all the hardship, people were optimistic. We believed that a better future was finally possible. That optimism came from somewhere. It came from seeing a country that stood for liberty, democracy, free speech and individual responsibility. A country that welcomed many Latvians who fled the Red Army during and after World War II. A country that proved to the world that free people — not kings, dictators or central planners — could build extraordinary prosperity.
America became the engine of innovation, entrepreneurship, scientific progress and economic opportunity. Whether in technology, medicine, business or culture, its influence has reached every corner of the globe — including ours. For countries like Latvia, America's strength has meant something even more important: hope.
Since regaining our independence, we have believed that our freedom is strongest when we stand alongside the United States and our democratic allies. The values that built America — freedom, responsibility, entrepreneurship and the belief that anyone can build a better life through hard work — are the same values that have shaped the remarkable transformation of the Baltic States over the past three decades.
I still remember my very first trip to America in 1994. I visited San Francisco, Los Angeles and Disneyland. Coming from post-Soviet Latvia, it felt like stepping into the future — almost like walking into The Fifth Element (Luc Besson movie). When it was time to fly home, I cried. That is how deeply America impressed a young boy who had grown up in a very different world.
Today, I have the privilege of working with many wonderful American clients and friends. Every partnership reminds me how much our countries share — not only common interests, but common values.
So on your 250th birthday, thank you! Thank you for inspiring millions of people around the world, including one small boy from Latvia who grew up believing that freedom, entrepreneurship and democracy were worth striving for. May the next 250 years continue to be filled with innovation, courage, opportunity and liberty.
Happy Independence Day, and happy 250th birthday, America!
