Heard at Heritage

Under the leadership of Ambassador Mark Green, who served as Administrator from 2017 to 2020, conservative political appointees at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) executed reforms and policies that would have previously been dismissed as unrealistic and audacious. The agency launched a reorganization that established a new structure to “end the need for foreign aid,” captured in the guiding principle of “the Journey to Self-Reliance,” while remaining true to America’s humanitarian impulse to help people in need. Traditional American values suffused agency programs with a culture of life and family and religious freedom as a first freedom. Under the Trump Administration, USAID confronted the challenge posed by an aggressive Communist China (and those of other malign global actors) and served as responsible stewards of American tax dollars. These reform efforts and achievements can provide the next conservative Administration with a solid base from which to launch even bolder reforms while offering a future Congress a basis upon which to reshape foreign aid authorizations and appropriations.Please join us for a conversation with Amb. Green reflecting on his tenure at USAID. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us as leading experts discuss why the Soviet Union was evil, why it collapsed, and yet why the allure of socialism persists today. Panelists will also explore how we best share these lessons with today’s youth.  Opening RemarksAngela Sailor, Vice President, The Feulner Institute, The Heritage FoundationJohn O’Sullivan, President, The Danube InstituteAlan Charles Kors, Ph.D., Henry Charles Lea Professor Emeritus, The University of PennsylvaniaSession I: The Collapse of the Evil EmpireKatie Gorka, Director, Civil Society and the American Dialogue, The Heritage FoundationLee Edwards, Ph.D., Distinguished Fellow in Conservative Thought, The Heritage FoundationDavid Satter, Journalist and Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research InstituteSebastian Gorka, Ph.D., Radio and TV HostSession II: Marxism Inside the GateMike Gonzalez, Senior Fellow, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy and Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum Fellow, The Heritage FoundationZilvinas Silenas, President, Foundation for Economic EducationMorgan Zegers, CEO, Young Americans Against SocialismKatie Gorka, Director for Civil Society and the American Dialogue, The Heritage FoundationSession III: Communism TodayElizabeth Spalding, Ph.D., Vice Chairman, Victims of Communism Memorial FoundationRosa Maria Paya, Cuban freedom activistDaniel DiMartino, Senior Contributor, Young Voices and Venezuelan freedom activistLily Tang Williams, Chinese freedom activist Closing Remarks: Sharing the Lessons with the Next Generations Elizabeth Spalding, Ph.D., Vice Chairman, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ongoing Nuclear Posture Review gives the Biden Administration the opportunity to align policy, strategy, and capabilities against the current threat environment. As part of this process, the Administration is reportedly considering changing U.S. nuclear declaratory policy from one of strategic ambiguity to one of “no first use” or “sole purpose.” Under a “no first use” or “sole purpose” policy, the United States would pledge never to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict, including in response to chemical, biological, cyber, or massive conventional attacks on the U.S. or its allies. While proponents of such a change argue that “no first use” or “sole purpose” would help the U.S. achieve its nonproliferation goals, this change could have grave impacts on U.S. extended deterrence commitments.  On December 7, hear directly from esteemed speakers from the U.S. and abroad on the implications of changes in U.S. nuclear declaratory policy on both U.S. national security and extended deterrence.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Protecting the free exercise of religion is a key aspect of fighting antisemitism. Regrettably, modern discourse often restricts the notion of antisemitism to those acts that deliberately target the Jewish people because they are Jewish. This approach overlooks the potential for facially neutral, general laws that burden Jewish religious practice under current free exercise doctrine from the Supreme Court’s decision in Employment Division v. Smith. This discussion will consider the legal arguments needed to restore a robust understanding of free exercise, an important bulwark against antisemitism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As one of the remaining democracies in Latin America, Guatemala is in a critical position to advance mutual values and interests in the region. From its recognition of Taiwan to its cooperation on trade, migration, and security, Guatemala is a critical U.S. partner in Latin America and the crucial Northern Triangle region. However, the Biden Administration is imposing a partisan and highly politicized agenda on Guatemala, demonstrated with its failed “root causes” strategy and its most recent decision to exclude Guatemala from the Summit for Democracy.President Alejandro Giammattei is entering his third year in office. The Heritage Foundation has invited President Giammattei as he highlights the importance of U.S.-Guatemala relations and our engagement with democratic partners in the region. From the border crisis to the rising threat of China and the prolonged need for strengthening trade relations, the need to highlight this importance could not be more timely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1921, thanks to the communist policies of collectivization, the Soviet Union was in the throes of a famine that threatened the lives of millions of its citizens. In desperation, the Kremlin turned to the United States for help. Led by Herbert Hoover, the American Relief Administration went into action, supplying millions of tons of food, clothing, and medicine. At its peak, the program fed 10.5 million Russians a day. It is estimated that the US effort rescued about 10 million Soviet citizens from certain death by starvation and disease. Why did the United States decide to help its ideological enemy, the Soviet Union, at its moment of crisis, and what can we learn from this remarkable story in US diplomatic history? Join us for a lively discussion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. has held six rounds of indirect talks with Iran about reviving the flawed 2015 nuclear deal, which the Trump Administration withdrew from in 2018. Although the Biden Administration seeks to re-enter the agreement, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and then follow up with another agreement to “lengthen and strengthen” its weak and time-limited restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, Iran has balked and is dragging its feet on returning to negotiations. Join us as a panel of experts explain why the United States should not settle for a risky return to the JCPOA, which rewarded Iran with disproportionate economic benefits in exchange for weak, temporary, and easily reversible restrictions on key aspects of its nuclear program and no restrictions whatsoever on its ballistic missile program, the most likely Iranian platform for delivering a nuclear weapon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Joe Biden’s first “Summit for Democracy” will meet on December 9-10, 2021. The summit is billed as an opportunity for political leaders, the private sector, and civil society to renew democracy at home and confront autocracies abroad. The idea of democratic cooperation is appealing. But the Administration’s catastrophic failure in Afghanistan has thrown grave doubt on its willingness to do more than pay lip service to leadership. Nor can democracy at home be separated from respect for genuine pluralism, free speech, and the Constitution, on which American democracy is based.Join The Heritage Foundation for an advance examination of the ideas behind, and the likely outcomes of, the Summit for Democracy.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Priti Patel was appointed Secretary of State for the United Kingdom Home Department on 24 July 2019. She was elected Conservative MP for Witham in May 2010. Patel was Secretary of State for International Development from July 2016 to November 2017. Patel served as Minister of State for Employment from May 2015 until July 2016. She was Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury from July 2014 to May 2015. The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for all Home Office business, including the National Security Council (NSC), and oversight of the Security Service. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hospital market consolidation is a problem for every American, a problem that has generally been caused by the government. This government intervention has led to a harmful lack of competition in the nation’s hospital markets that undermines patient choice and increases consumers’ costs. Conversely, strong market competition not only increases patient choice and controls costs, but also stimulates innovation in health care delivery and improves the quality of care. Consumer-driven market competition can deliver what government bureaucracy cannot: fast, efficient, personalized, and patient-centered care. Join us as we discuss this timely and critical issue and identify solutions that will remove costly government barriers and adopt pro-competition policies.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.