BAPG 2018: 41 Years of “Leading by Learning”

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British Members of Parliament at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs reception with Ambassador Jennifer Zimdahl Galt and Members of Congress.

This year marks the 41st anniversary of the British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG) International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), an annual exchange that is administered by Meridian International Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State. BAPG seeks to strengthen U.S.-UK relations, to enhance the parliamentarians’ knowledge of U.S. government, and to encourage leaders to explore the roles of non-governmental players in the formation of policy. Earlier this month, BAPG had the pleasure of welcoming six British Members of Parliament to the United States: Mr. David Duguid, Mr. Darren Jones, Mr. Damien Moore, Ms. Stephanie Peacock, and Mr. Matt...

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U.K. Parliamentarians Meet with U.S. Representatives through BAPG Exchange Program

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MP's Angela Crawley, Jim McMahon, Ranil Jayawardena, and David Mackintosh meet with Representative Pearce

In 2004, a rising Conservative in the United Kingdom Parliament named Theresa May participated in the British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG), a Department of State exchange program co-founded with the U.K. Parliament in 1977 and administered by Meridian International Center. Ms. May and several colleagues traveled to the United States for meetings with U.S. congressional representatives to learn about America’s political process and its domestic debates, in turn sharing their perspectives on pressing challenges facing the U.K. and Europe. Continue  

Perception Is Power: Why Russia Is Missing Out at the G7

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Heads of State from the G7 spent their time together discussing issues such as climate action and combatting violent extremism. Credit: https://flic.kr/p/uiGeW7

Russia was arguably the least popular world power in 2014. According to new data from the Gallup World Poll, Russian leadership has a median international approval rating of 22 percent and a 36 percent disapproval rating, the highest of any country. This is cannot be a surprise following the annexation of Crimea, covert intervention in Eastern Ukraine, and assassination of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. As a direct result of international disapproval, Russia’s membership in the G8 was suspended in March 2014, further isolating the country during a time of economic hardship. Negative perceptions of Russian leadership are immediately affecting...

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Special Relationships: UK MPs Shadow US Reps Around the Country

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Four Members of UK Parliament come to the United States with the 37th British-American Parliamentary Group exchange program.

You may have heard of the “special relationship” between the United States and United Kingdom (UK).

The term sounds rather mystical, but is actually based on over 200 years of political, cultural, economic, and military relations between the two countries. It characterizes the nations’ close cooperation and alignment, most famously emphasized by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in his 1946 speech, “The Sinews of Peace.”

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