We call on all who are willing to join us in this common cause

We face a time of extraordinary challenges.

Now is the time for us to act … together.

It is time for us to defend our values, and make clear what we stand for and what of kind world we want to live in.

The present challenge

We, citizens, former officials, and representatives of governments and private entities, united by common values, have agreed as follows:

For seven decades, free nations have drawn upon common principles to advance freedom, increase prosperity, and secure peace. The resulting order, built on the foundation of democratic values and human dignity, has brought better lives for our citizens and billions of people around the world.

But the international system must rise to meet new challenges. New technologies are transforming societies. In many of our nations, stagnant wages, income disparities, and uneven benefits from global trade are leading many to question free market economics and the value of engagement in the world. Increased migration is fueling concerns about job security and national identity. 

Around the world, politicians are exploiting these challenges, denigrating the rule of law, and undermining faith in democracy. Autocrats and extremists are attacking these principles, oppressing their own people, threatening security, and contending that might makes right.  

Yet, free peoples have met greater challenges in the past, and we can master those in our time.

Innovations in communications, energy, health, and more yet to come are opening possibilities unimaginable before. Entrepreneurship based on freedom and new ideas can drive prosperity. Empowered men and women can address social problems from the bottom up. Governments that answer to their citizens and respect the rule of law can best address inequity, correct injustice, and serve the good of all.  

Free nations must adapt and change. Yet our principles remain sound because they reflect the common aspirations of the human spirit. Societies that respect these principles are better placed to produce security and prosperity. Nations that uphold them are more likely to work together in peace. And authoritarians who stifle enterprise, dispense arbitrary justice, and abuse their people ultimately will fail.  

Inspired by the inalienable rights derived from our ethics, traditions, and faiths, we commit ourselves to seek a better future for our citizens and our nations. We will defend our values, overcome past failures with new ideas, answer lies with truth, confront aggression with strength, and go forward with the confidence that our principles will prevail.   

We call on all who are willing to join us in this common cause.

Sign up to join our cause

Inspired by the inalienable rights derived from our ethics, traditions, and faiths, we commit ourselves to seek a better future for our citizens and our nations. Join our cause by signing up for updates on our efforts to defend and advance our principles of freedom, prosperity, and peace.



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Seven statements

1. Freedom and Justice

We affirm the right of all people to live in free and just societies, where fundamental rights are protected under the rule of law.

Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to: 

  • respect and protect the freedoms of speech, conscience, religion, the press, expression, association, and assembly
  • allow for the free flow of information and ideas, while protecting personal information and individual privacy 
  • ensure equal protection and non-discrimination with regard to race, religion, ethnicity, tribe, culture, nationality, language, gender, disability, and sexual identity
  • combat corruption, hold public officials accountable, and uphold the rule of law

2. Democracy and Self-Determination

We affirm the right of all people to make decisions about their own affairs through elected governments that reflect their consent, free from foreign interference.

Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to: 

  • respect and protect the right of all people to choose their own leaders through a free, fair, and competitive democratic process
  • refrain from threats, coercion, intimidation, violence, election meddling, or other undue interference in the internal or external affairs of free nations
  • respect the right of peaceful self-determination and seek the settlement of disputes over political status without threats, violence, or oppression

3. Peace and Security

We affirm the right of all people to live in peace, free from threats of aggression, terrorism, oppression, crimes against humanity, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 

Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to: 

  • refrain from engaging in or providing support for such actions
  • seek to prevent such violence and cut off material or financial support or safe haven to governments, groups, or individuals engaged in such actions 
  • support the peaceful settlement of disputes, including civil conflicts, and refrain from the use of force, except as just and necessary to advance these principles 

4. Free Markets and Equal Opportunity

We affirm the right of all people to engage in economic activity based on free market principles, with equal opportunity to contribute to and the ability to share in the benefits of national prosperity.

Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to: 

  • protect the right of people to own property, purchase goods and services, and invest in free and open markets
  • promote the free and fair flow of trade and investment; protect intellectual property; respect agreements; and support an open global economy 
  • protect the rights of workers, including the right to seek gainful employment; seek to mitigate the adverse impacts of global trade; and encourage inclusive, equitable, and well-regulated economies
  • seek to mitigate poverty, eradicate disease, and facilitate access to food, water, shelter, medical services, and education for their own citizens and others in need

5. An Open and Healthy Planet

We affirm the right of all people to enjoy free and open access to the global commons and a safe and healthy planet.

Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to: 

  • reduce the risk of damage to the global climate or environment caused by nature or human activity
  • refrain from undue interference with freedom of navigation in the air, seas, and outer space, or with access to cyberspace
  • while harnessing their benefits, seek to mitigate potentially dangerous or unethical applications of advanced technology
  • while protecting their national identity and controlling migration over their borders, provide refuge for those fleeing from persecution or violence, and respect the rights of all people living and working in their nations

6. The Right of Assistance

We affirm the right of national sovereignty, while recognizing that sovereignty obligates governments to uphold these principles. 

Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to: 

  • allow their citizens to receive assistance from others to advance these principles, including, in non-free societies, support to non-violent groups, political parties, and individuals aiming to foster democracy or human rights
  • assist those adversely impacted by violations of these principles, and where governments or other actors are unwilling or unable to cease or remedy flagrant or systematic violations, take such actions just and necessary to prevent them

7. Collective Action

We affirm the right of all people to cooperate in support of these principles and to work together to advance them. 

Governments, private entities, and individuals should seek to advance these principles by supporting:

  • partnerships, coalitions, and alliances that bring together likeminded governments, including a potential new alliance of free nations
  • public-private partnerships and coalitions that bring together governments, private entities, and other stakeholders
  • international institutions and agencies, including the United Nations, that aim to foster dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility between nations

The tasks ahead

Principles are not self-executing. Working with all who are ready to join us, we will develop a plan of action to implement these principles and advance our common goals.

We call on individuals, institutions, corporations, and governments in our own nations and around the world to advance these principles and create a more effective and responsive set of global rules. Our responsibilities rise commensurate with our influence.

We will advocate for these principles within our own nations, reaching out as broadly as possible to build public support.  

We will seek to revise and strengthen the international system to reflect these principles and advance them on the basis of international law.  

We will reach out to all nations to seek common ground, enlisting all those willing to help build an adapted international order based on these principles.

We will forge creative solutions to address the just claims of nations underrepresented in the current system, the needs of those left behind in our societies, and the impact of revolutionary technology so that it becomes an agent of sustainable development and positive, rather than destructive, change.

We will establish a standing mechanism to track compliance with these principles and call out those that are seeking to undermine them. We will urge our governments to act when these principles are violated.

We will stand firm behind our principles and work together to advance freedom, prosperity, justice, security and peace for all nations. 

Signatories

Co-Chairs

Madeleine Albright

Madeleine Albright

Former Secretary of State
United States

Stephen Hadley

Stephen Hadley

Former National Security Advisor
United States

Carl Bildt

Carl Bildt

Former Prime Minister
Sweden

Yoriko Kawaguchi

Yoriko Kawaguchi

Former Minister for Foreign Affairs
Japan

Task force members

Roberto Abdenur, former deputy minister of foreign affairs, Brazil
Lloyd Axworthy, former minister of foreign affairs, Canada
Dino Patti Djalal, former deputy minister of foreign affairs, Indonesia
Alexander Downer, former minister of foreign affairs, Australia
Gareth Evans, former minister of foreign affairs, Australia
Melanie Schultz van Haegen, former minister of infrastructure and the environment, The Netherlands
Han SungJoo, former minister of foreign affairs, South Korea
Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former president, Estonia
Wolfgang Ischinger, former deputy minister of foreign affairs, Germany
Mehdi Jomaa, former prime minister, Tunisia
Jean-David Levitte, former national security advisor, France
Tzipi Livni, former minister of foreign affairs, Israel
David Miliband, former foreign secretary, United Kingdom
Ana Palacio, former minister of foreign affairs, Spain
Nirupama Rao, former foreign secretary, India
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former prime minister, Denmark
Malcolm Rifkind, former foreign secretary, United Kingdom
Allan Rock, former minister of justice, Canada
Claudia Ruiz Massieu, former secretary of foreign affairs, Mexico
Radek Sikorski, former minister of foreign affairs, Poland

Distinguished former officials

Bogdan Klich, former minister of defense, Poland
Horst Teltschik, former national security adviser, Germany
Eka Tkeshelashvili, former minister of foreign affairs, Georgia
Vygaudas Usackas, former minister of foreign affairs, Lithuania

Legislators

Christopher Coons, member of the Senate, United States
Tom Malinowski
, member of the House of Representatives, United States
Žygimantas Pavilionis
, member, Lithuanian Parliament
Norbert Röttgen, member, German Parliament
Marietje Schaake
, former member, European Parliament
Basem Shabb, former member, Lebanese Parliament
Elissa Slotkin, member of the House of Representatives, United States
Inese Vaidere, member, European Parliament

National, civic, and business leaders

Joseph Cirincione, president, Ploughshares Fund
Carl Gershman, president, National Endowment for Democracy
Hahm Chaibong, president, Asan Institute for Policy Studies
Ivo Daalder, president, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Stephen Heintz, president, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Frederick Kempe, president and CEO, Atlantic Council
Derek Mitchell, president, National Democratic Institute
Cindy McCain, chair of the board of directors, The McCain Institute
Christopher Schroeder, co-founder, Next Billion Ventures
Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO, New America Foundation
Daniel Twining, president, International Republican Institute

Other former officials and experts

Hussein Amach, Atlantic Council
Goli Ameri
, former US assistant secretary of state
Farid Arbib, former Belgian public administrator
Anthony Clark Arend, Georgetown University
Roger Ballard-Tremeer, former South African ambassador
Colleen Bell, former US ambassador
John Bellinger, former legal adviser, US Department of State
Tamar Beruchashvili, former Georgian ambassador
Antony Blinken, former US deputy secretary of state
Ian Bond, The Centre for European Reform
Eric Brattberg, The McCain Institute
Esther Brimmer, former US assistant secretary of state
Susan Burk, former US special representative
Bozo Cerar, former Slovenian ambassador
Herman Cohen, former US assistant secretary of state
Phillip Cornell, Atlantic Council
Oleh Derevianko, former Ukrainian deputy minister of education and science
Larry Diamond, senior fellow, Hoover Institution Stanford University
Eileen Donahoe, former US ambassador
Alan Dowd, Sagamore Institute
Nicholas Dungan, Atlantic Council
Paige Ennis, Atlantic Council
Jamie Fly, German Marshall Fund
Daniel Fried, former US assistant secretary of state
Robert S. Gelbard, former US assistant secretary of state
David Gordon, former director of policy planning, US Department of State
Ettore Greco, Institute of International Affairs (Italy)
Marc Grossman, former US under secretary of state
Nikolas Gvosev, Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs
Fen Olser Hampson, Centre for International Governance Innovation
Chris Harper, former director of the international military staff, NATO
Christopher Hunter, former senior federal prosecutor, US Department of Justice
William Inboden
, former senior director, National Security Council
Karl Inderfurth, former US assistant secretary of state
Ash Jain, Atlantic Council
Abbas Kadhim, Atlantic Council
Robert Kagan, Brookings
Richard Kauzlarich, former US ambassador
Karen Kornbluh, former US ambassador
Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council
Valerie Rouxel Laxton, Atlantic Council
Lauri Lepik, former Estonian ambassador
Douglas Lute, former US ambassador
Rory Medcalf, Australian National University
Sarah Mendelson, former US representative to the UN economic and social council
Paul Miller, Georgetown University
François Nordmann, former Swiss ambassador
Joseph Nye, Harvard University
Barry Pavel, former senior director, National Security Council
Philip Reitinger, former US deputy undersecretary of homeland security
Laura Rosenberger, German Marshall Fund
Charles Rossotti, former commissioner, Internal Revenue Service
Henne Schuwer, former Dutch ambassador
Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Georgetown University
Walter Slocombe, former US undersecretary of defense
Stanley Sloan, Atlantic Council
Alice Stollmeyer, Defending Democracy
Jake Sullivan, former director of policy planning, US Department of State
Toni Verstandig, The S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace
Melanne Verveer, former US ambassador
Andri Veselovsky, former Ukrainian deputy minister of foreign affairs
Jarmo Viinanen, former Finnish ambassador
John Watts, Atlantic Council
Earl Anthony Wayne, former US ambassador
Andrew Wilson, Center for International Private Enterprise
Damon Wilson, former senior director, National Security Council
Kenneth Wollack, former president, National Democratic Institute

(Affiliations are Listed for Identification Purposes Only)

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Inspired by the inalienable rights derived from our ethics, traditions, and faiths, we commit ourselves to seek a better future for our citizens and our nations. Join our cause by signing up for updates on our efforts to defend and advance our principles of freedom, prosperity, and peace.



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Citizens

Nira Abada, United Kingdom
Robert Acquah, United States
Zviad Adzinbaia, Georgia
Anthony Alfidi
Michael Allen, United States
Patrick Allman-Ward, United Arab Emirates
Fernando Aniceto, Portugal
Stuart Armor, United States
Natalia Arno, United States
Constantine Arvanitopoulos, Greece
Robert Asmus, United States
Sergei Bar, Israel
Vladimir Baryshnikov, Estonia
Fathi Bashier, Ethiopia
Thomas Bengtsson, Sweden
Sarina Berlow, United States
Ted Berlstein, United States
Patricia Biehn, United States
Daniel Bilak, Spain
Tariku Bogale, South Africa
Ian Bond, United Kingdom
Patrick Boughton-Reynolds, United Kingdom
Thomas Brenemark, Sweden
John Brown, United States
Patricia Burks, United States
Heidi Bush, United States
Jeffrey Carey, United States
Jorge Castaneda, United States
Jaromír Cenek, Czech Republic
Rachel Chien, United States
Cristian Ciupe, United Kingdom
Gonzalo Colimodio, Venezuela
Andrew Cottey, Ireland
Sylvain Curtenaz, Switzerland
Shlomit Miky Dan, Switzerland
Michael C. Davis, United States
Marta Denysenko, United States
Dieter Dettke, United States
Winston Dixon, United States
Donald Dorn-Lopez, Egypt
Glenn D. Dunmire, United States
David Dyer, United States
Marianne Eddy, United States
Martin Edwards, United States
Marjan Ehsassi, United States
Sherry Eiswald, United States
Faour Elie, France
Carlotta Erickson, United States
Eric Evers, United States
Kevin Fernlund, United States
Patrick Fine, United States
Nate Flauto, United States
Bryan Floyd, United States
Sergey Fomel, United States
Jeff Franzius, Canada
Donald Fraser, United States
Danielle Gagnon, United States
Vicki Gay, United States
Elene Gotsadze, United States
Nathaniel Greenwood, United States
Paul Grod, Canada
Lee Guelff, United States
Sumit Gupta, United States
Alessia Shira Hamidou, France
Deirdre Hamstead, Canada
Susanne Hartig, Belgium
Yohko Hatada, United Kingdom
Stephen Hatch, Canada
Matthew Haussmann, Canada
Mall Hellam, Estonia
Miguel Hesse Meana, Europe
Edward Hoffer, United States
Cameron Hudson, United States
Amir Huggins, United States
Farooq Husain, Pakistan
Craig Hunter, Canada
Jin In, United States
John Jacobs, Netherlands
Swarn Jain, United States
Jiya Jain, United States
Jackson Janes, United States
Rebecca Jones
Kathy Jones, United States
Ana Jovic-Lazic, Serbia
Abbas Kadhim, United States
Ireke A Kalu Onuma, Nigeria
Andreas Karvonen, Sweden
Richard Kauzlarich, United States
Ivana Ke, United States
Debra Keil-Leavitt, United States
Donald Keller, United States
Jamie Kelly, United States
Mark Kenny, Australia
Basem Khalid, Palestinian Territory
James Kimer, United States
George Kinzfogl, United States
Timothy Klee, United States
Paul Koch, United States
Ingrid Koch, United States
Dick Lafever, United States
Joe Landry, Canada
Jenefer Lane, Canada
Matteo Laruffa, Italy
Louis Laverone, United States
Valerie Rouxel Laxton, United States
Stephen Leather, United Kingdom
Jon Lieb, United States
Sarunas Liekis, United States
Frank Macmillan, Canada
Lisa Madden, United States
Nerijus Maliukevicius, Lithuania
Piotr Marczuk, Poland
Andrew Marshall, United States
Mark J. Massa, United States
Judith Matthias, United States
Casey McHale, United States
Danel McIntosh, United States
Wayne Miller, United States
Gregory A. Miller, United States
Justin Miller, United States
Ben Montour, United States
Don Mort, United States
Ron Moss, United States
Alexander Motyl, United States
Jan Muhl, United Arab Emirates
Lorenzo Murillo, United States
Paul Mustin, Canada
Brown Nathaniel, United States
Mihail Naydenov, Bulgaria
Chris Naylor, United Kingdom
Yvonne Newmen, United States
Duane Nichols, United States
Päivi Nikander, Finland
Olivera Nikolova, Macedonia
Tanvir Nishad, Bangladesh
Pierre Odendaal, South Africa
Francis Martin O’Donnell, Serbia
Rainer Ohler, France
Abdel Oliveros, Canada
Gary Palmer, United States
Christer Persson, United States
Daniel Pickens, United States
Alex Pico, United States
Frits Plantinga, Netherlands
Pambos Polycarpou, United States
Liza Prendergast, United States
Arnold Pritz, Austria
Samuel Rachlin, Denmark
Valeri Ratchev, Bulgaria
Edwin Rekosh, United States
Dan Reuter, United States
Ibrahim Reyes, United States
Naomi Rock, United States
Lina Rodriguez, Colombia
Alyse Rome, United States
Holger Fabian Sahl, Poland
Giedrius Sakalauskas, Lithuania
Wolfe Schmidt, United States
Desirée Schorr, United States
Mark Schrider, United States
Wolfgang M. Schröder, Germany
Chris Schroeder, United States
LK Scott, United States
Bobbie Seaton, United States
Alpar Sevgen, Turkey
Allin C Seward, United States
Ehsan Sharief, Saudi Arabia
Curtis Shegog, United States
Daniel Sherman, Israel
Mark Simmons, United States
Jay Simmons, United States
Julie Sirrs, United States
Anders Sjöstedt, Spain
Robert Smith, Canada
Russell Smith, United States
Ian Smith, Australia
Derrick Spracklin, United States
Warren Stockdale, United Kingdom
Alice Stollmeyer, Netherlands
John Sullivan, United States
Andrew Taylor, United States
David Taylor, United States
William Theuer, United States
Jeffrey Thinnes, Germany
Jonathan Thompson, United States
Michael Thompson, United States
Dave Toole, United States
Zeljko Trkanjec, Croatia
Patrick Truffer, Switzerland
Sam Tsima, South Africa
Andreas Umland, Ukraine
Michael Vanderpool, United States
Julie Varghese
Rusudan Vashakidze,
Kestutis Vaskelevicius, United States
Dominic Villet, China
Eduardo Viola, Brazil
Ales Vytecka, Thailand
Veronica Wade, United States
Dale Walker, United States
Edward Ward, United States
Vanessa Watson, United Kingdom
Gail Watt, Sweden
Robert Weikal, United States
Robert Welch, United States
James Wholley, United States
Folkert Wierda, Finland
Roger Williams, United States
Norman Willox, United States
Marlene Wind, Belgium
Mauricio Wittenberg, Chile
Ehab Youssef, Egypt
Anthony Zacharzewski, Belgium
Harold Zuckerman, United States

Sign up to join our cause

Inspired by the inalienable rights derived from our ethics, traditions, and faiths, we commit ourselves to seek a better future for our citizens and our nations. Join our cause by signing up for updates on our efforts to defend and advance our principles of freedom, prosperity, and peace.



  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.