On June 8, CIPE celebrated a watershed foreign policy moment – the 30th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan’s speech to the British Parliament at Westminster. In his speech, delivered during a reawakening of tensions during the Cold War, Reagan laid out the case that the United States should support and help develop democratic systems around the world. In so doing, he laid the groundwork for what would become the National Endowment for Democracy and its core institutes – including CIPE. CIPE was founded on the idea that economic freedom and political freedom are inextricably intertwined. This anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the history of CIPE, the successes and challenges over the years, and – most importantly – what lies ahead and why CIPE’s work is more important today than ever before.
In this previously-published Economic Reform Feature Service article celebrating CIPE’s 25th Anniversary, Executive Director John D. Sullivan provides a brief history of the democracy programs, explores the continued need to build market-oriented democracies, and examines CIPE’s role, business model, and the key themes of its work. He also looks ahead to the challenges and opportunities for democratic and market-oriented reform around the world.
