Freedom & Democracy
Confronting Authoritarian Regimes
Democracy is in a global struggle against authoritarian regimes in places like China, Russia, and North Korea. The Bush Institute advocates for 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
Executive Director George W. Bush Institute
Director, Freedom and Democracy George W. Bush Institute
Director, Freedom and Democracy George W. Bush Institute
Senior Editorial Advisor George W. Bush Institute
Associate and Expert-in-Residence, Freedom and Democracy George W. Bush Institute
Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow George W. Bush Institute
Senior Fellow George W. Bush Institute
Fellow George W. Bush Institute
President and Co-Founder, Chelsea Piers, L.P.; Former Chairman, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
President, Freedom House
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Managing Director, Jigsaw
Former Under Secretary of State, Democracy and Global Affairs; Senior Fellow, The Future of Diplomacy Project, Kennedy School, Harvard University
Founding President, National Endowment for Democracy
Syndicated Columnist, Washington Post
Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, EmPath
Managing Director, The Carlyle Group; Vice Chairman, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Associate Professor, Cox School of Business, SMU
Adjunct Professor, SMU
President, National Democratic Institute
Chair, Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP)
Former U.S. Ambassador to France and the Czech Republic
President, International Republican Institute
Former President, National Democratic Institute