The Ronald Reagan Institute Co-Hosts Second Reagan-Jackson Security Dialogue in Cambridge, UK
The convening explored critical transatlantic security challenges amidst global conflicts
Washington, DC — The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, in partnership with the Henry Jackson Society, held the second Reagan-Jackson Security Dialogue on September 13-14, 2024, bringing together elected officials and thought leaders from both sides of the Atlantic to explore pressing foreign policy and national security issues. The event, held in Cambridge, England, focused on the enduring US-UK special relationship and provided a forum for bipartisan, bicameral members of the US Congress and cross-party Members of Parliament to engage in discussions with former government officials and key stakeholders from both countries' national security communities.
“With threats to the free world not seen since President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher stared down the Soviet Union, the US-UK special relationship is just as crucial in this century as it was in the last,” said Roger Zakheim, Director of the Ronald Reagan Institute. “We are proud of our work with the Henry Jackson Society to foster meaningful connections between American and British leaders. As President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher demonstrated, friendship is a helpful foundation for even our most steadfast alliances.”
The conference highlighted the importance of nurturing the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, amidst persistent geopolitical uncertainty in several regions of the world. Conversations spanned the current state of transatlantic ties, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the growing strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China. The partnership between two of the world's strongest democracies remains critical, but it requires sustained effort to ensure its strength in the face of new challenges.
While conference participants represented diverse views and backgrounds, the Reagan Institute’s takeaways included:
- The Vitality of the US-UK Special Relationship: The US-UK special relationship endures as vital to transatlantic security. But policymakers on both sides of the pond cannot take close ties for granted; the partnership requires nurturing, especially after America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which shook allies’ trust in Washington.
- The Need for Decisive Action in Ukraine: A timid, incremental, and reactive approach to supporting Ukraine has only emboldened Russian aggression, hindered Kyiv’s ability to achieve victory, and facilitated a grinding war of attrition. Ukraine’s supporters need to align ends, ways, and means with a strategy, force package, and rules of engagement that will allow Kyiv to muster the kind of decisive firepower that can ensure victory.
- NATO and Europe’s Role in the Indo-Pacific: As America engages in strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China, the role of NATO and Europe in the Indo-Pacific and any potential regional conflict remains unclear. It is time to debate what kind of support, if any, the United States can expect across the diplomatic, intelligence, military, and economic domains.
- AUKUS: A Strategic Partnership at a Crossroads: Collaboration via the AUKUS trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States sends a powerful strategic message to our adversaries, pooling industrial bases from among the strongest free market democracies to deliver advanced capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. However, efforts to break down persistent barriers to information sharing like the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) are moving too slowly and threaten to send the opposite message: that the United States cannot muster the political will to achieve its goals. Failing to meaningfully implement AUKUS would be an unacceptable outcome that encourages, rather than deters, malign actors.
- Global Unity Against Authoritarian Threats: Across the political spectrum, national security leaders across the world’s democracies largely understand the integrated threat from authoritarian states and rogue regimes: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The days of piecemeal, reactive policy are over; it is time to move boldly, in lockstep with our allies and partners, to restore deterrence and unabashedly push back on aggression against the free world.
- Technological Innovation and Defense Modernization: Innovation in technologies like artificial intelligence is already changing the character of warfare, and it is critical that the free world achieve a decisive advantage in the innovation race. Authoritarian states place little to no restrictions around new technologies, regardless of the harm they may cause. The United States and the United Kingdom have prioritized unleashing innovation in tandem with establishing ethical safeguards around the use of new technologies. Conversely, Europe’s overemphasis on regulation is hamstringing its ability to innovate, casting a long shadow on the future of its market and defense modernization.
As President Reagan said, “Roosevelt and Churchill, Attlee and Truman, Eisenhower and Macmillan – these names inseparably linked in recent history – the legacy of their relationships is nothing less than the security and the freedom enjoyed by our nations today. We will continue in this great tradition, not only because it's essential but also because our two peoples expect and insist on it.”
About the Reagan Foundation and Institute
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI) is the sole nonprofit organization created by President Reagan charged with advancing his legacy and principles – individual liberty, economic opportunity, freedom and democracy, peace through strength, and national pride.
A globally recognized nonpartisan organization based in Simi Valley, CA, with a leading policy institute in Washington, DC, RRPFI delivers impactful public affairs programming, policy convenings and projects of national and international significance, and distinctive educational initiatives. In addition, RRPFI sustains the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, the largest and most visited presidential library, which routinely hosts major special exhibitions.
An hour from Los Angeles International Airport, RRPFI’s Simi Valley campus sits on 400 acres, serves as the final resting place of America’s 40th President and former First Lady Nancy Reagan, displays a chunk of the Berlin Wall, and houses the plane President Reagan flew as Air Force One to 26 countries. Onsite are the Reagan Center for Public Affairs, Presidential Learning Center, Air Force One Pavilion, and the Reagan Leadership Academy. More information is available at www.reaganfoundation.org.
Media Contact
James Rogers
(248) 912-5858
Download Press Release