Back to Westminster: A new transatlantic agenda to defend democracy

Abstract

Across the transatlantic area and, indeed, across the democratic world, democracy is under strain from domestic and external factors, while throughout the world, authoritarian and totalitarian forces continue to quash people’s desire for freedom and human dignity. In this context, this article takes stock of the ongoing challenges, and argues for a renewed transatlantic agenda that returns to the spirit of President Ronald Reagan’s 1982 Westminster Speech. It should achieve this by developing an ambitious programme that defends democracy within the transatlantic area and supports people’s desire for freedom globally, while avoiding the dogmatic approaches and ossification that have characterised democracy promotion over the past two decades.