New Atlantic Initiative
Encyclopedia
The New Atlantic Initiative (NAI) was an international nonpartisan
organization dedicated to revitalizing and expanding the Atlantic community of democracies
. NAI was based at the American Enterprise Institute
, a Washington, DC
-based think tank
.
The NAI's central objective was to strengthen Atlantic cooperation in the post-cold war
world by bringing together Americans and Europeans to work toward common goals, including:
The NAI also sponsored conferences, debates, and roundtable discussions in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere.
In 2005 NAI was shut down and merged into the "European Studies" program at AEI.
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
organization dedicated to revitalizing and expanding the Atlantic community of democracies
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. NAI was based at the American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
, a Washington, DC
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
.
The NAI's central objective was to strengthen Atlantic cooperation in the post-cold war
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
world by bringing together Americans and Europeans to work toward common goals, including:
- The reinvigoration of Atlantic institutions of political cooperation and consultation.
- The admission of Europe's fledgling democracies into the institutions of Atlantic defense and European economic cooperation, notably NATO and the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. - The establishment of free tradeFree tradeUnder a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
between an enlarged European Union and the North American Free Trade AgreementNorth American Free Trade AgreementThe North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
(NAFTA) countries as a complement to strengthening global free trade.
The NAI also sponsored conferences, debates, and roundtable discussions in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere.
In 2005 NAI was shut down and merged into the "European Studies" program at AEI.