WESTMINSTER 2.0 WORKING GROUP
Modernizing the Toolkit for Advancing Freedom and Promoting Democracy in the 21st Century
MISSION STATEMENT
As freedom and democracy face challenges around the world, the cause of renewing our commitment to President Reagan’s ideals has never been more urgent. The Westminster 2.0 Working Group will take on the question of how to modernize efforts to promote freedom in the context of 21st-century challenges and opportunities, from rising authoritarianism to emerging technologies.
By convening public officials, technology experts, freedom and democracy advocates, and business leaders, the Working Group will produce a report evaluating past efforts and programs and outlining the strategy and tools necessary to advance freedom in today’s world. The central question will be how to organize our government to best develop and utilize that toolkit, including what new legislation, structures, and resources are required to do so.
STUDY AREAS
Evaluating Current Efforts to Advance Freedom
Understanding New Authoritarian Challenges
Contextualizing Emerging Technologies
Building a Robust Notion of Freedom
Modernizing the Toolkit
Aligning Resources and Structures
Working with Allies and Partners
The Working Group is named in honor of President Reagan’s 1982 speech before the British Parliament at Westminster, which created the democracy promotion architecture that America has relied on for nearly four decades. As President Reagan proclaimed in that address, “We must be staunch in our conviction that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings.”
