Supporting Ukraine: Why it is vital to U.S. national security interest
Freedom & Democracy
Confronting Authoritarian Regimes
Recognizing that democracy is a global struggle against authoritarian regimes like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, and developing policies to counter threats to freedom.
Authoritarian powers in places like Beijing and Moscow erode confidence in democracy and expand their influence. They do this via election interference, cyberattacks, disinformation, illicit financing, and targeting dissidents outside their borders.
China and Russia project influence in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and they align with other authoritarian powers like North Korea. Such alliances pose a serious threat to democracies globally.
Combating authoritarian regimes is most effectively addressed by collaborating with our allies. We stress the need to:
- Reduce corruption that fuels authoritarian governments
- Support democratic activists in closed societies
- Coordinate political and economic pressure on autocrats to isolate them from the global arena
- Recognize that protecting human rights advances national security
Our Team
Read David J. Kramer's biography.
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David J. Kramer
Executive Director George W. Bush Institute
Read Jessica Ludwig's biography.
![Jessica Ludwig photo.]()
Jessica Ludwig
Director, Freedom and Democracy George W. Bush Institute
Read Chris Walsh's biography.
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Chris Walsh
Director, Freedom and Democracy George W. Bush Institute
Read William McKenzie's biography.
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William McKenzie
Senior Editorial Advisor George W. Bush Institute
Read Joseph Kim's biography.
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Joseph Kim
Associate and Expert-in-Residence, Freedom and Democracy George W. Bush Institute
Read Nicole Bibbins Sedaca's biography.
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Nicole Bibbins Sedaca
Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow George W. Bush Institute
Read Victor Cha's biography.
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Victor Cha
Senior Fellow George W. Bush Institute
Read Ellen Bork's biography.
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Ellen Bork
Fellow George W. Bush Institute
Tom A. Bernstein, Chair
President and Co-Founder, Chelsea Piers, L.P.; Former Chairman, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Mike Abramowitz
President, Freedom House
Elliot Abrams
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Scott Carpenter
Managing Director, Jigsaw
Paula Dobriansky
Former Under Secretary of State, Democracy and Global Affairs; Senior Fellow, The Future of Diplomacy Project, Kennedy School, Harvard University
Carl Gershman
Founding President, National Endowment for Democracy
Michael Gerson
Syndicated Columnist, Washington Post
Carlos Gutierrez
Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, EmPath
Allan Holt
Managing Director, The Carlyle Group; Vice Chairman, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Melanie Kirkpatrick
Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Maribeth Kuenzi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Cox School of Business, SMU
Nancy Cain Marcus, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor, SMU
Derek Mitchell
President, National Democratic Institute
Natan Sharansky
Chair, Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP)
Craig Stapleton
Former U.S. Ambassador to France and the Czech Republic
Dan Twining
President, International Republican Institute
Kenneth Wollack
Former President, National Democratic Institute
Publications
FEATURED
Countering Corruption and Kleptocracy: What can be done to uproot a global scourge?
Ruslana - Ukraine is Alive
What Happens in Ukraine Matters
NexPoint Lecture -- Author Bill Browder on Russia
LATEST
The Struggle for Freedom: An Azerbaijani economist who stands up to Aliyev’s kleptocracy
By: Ellen Bork
Doing nothing isn't an option. We must fund causes at home and abroad.
By: David J. Kramer, Laura Collins, Igor Khrestin
The Struggle for Freedom: A Vietnamese writer championed by the U.S. remains in prison
By: Ellen Bork
Garry Kasparov -- Ukraine, Putin, and How Life Imitates Chess
Hosted by: Andrew Kaufmann, David J. Kramer
El Salvador needs a strategy to restore civil rights while keeping streets safe
By: Jenny Villatoro
China is investing billions to manipulate its image around the globe
By: Jessica Ludwig