Many of you will have heard the very sad news of the death of GSF’s co-founder and Chairman, Lord Lothian last month. Together with Johan Eliasch, Lord Lothian – then Michael Ancram MP – founded GSF in 2006. He was the inspiration behind GSF and he created, nurtured and supported the organisation to realise his vision of an open forum, where ideas and policies on foreign affairs, defence and security matters could be debated and discussed. Over the course of the 18 years which followed, he more than achieved his founding aims and we are so grateful to him. He will be sorely missed.
Earlier this year, he had planned a GSF event in our ad hoc series, which was to take place after the 5th November US presidential election. Whoever ultimately won the White House, he was keen to examine a longer-term underlying issue: with the US more divided and polarised along political and ideological lines than at any time perhaps since the 1850s, what impact might this have on the global leadership role held by America since 1945? Abraham Lincoln famously warned of the dangers posed to the Union by divisions over slavery in his 1858 ‘House Divided’ speech, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. A recent YouGov poll has indicated that more than 25% of Americans today fear another civil war in the wake of this most turbulent of election campaigns. At the least, there is a widespread expectation that a period of unrest and violence will follow, should the fabric of American democracy be stretched to breaking point.
The 21st century already seems poised to deliver a very changed world order, where western dominance is increasingly challenged, with far-reaching implications for global stability and security. Lord Lothian was interested in whether America’s entrenched divisions and domestic preoccupations, from immigration and border security to reproductive rights, would ultimately result in a more isolationist country, averse to foreign interventionism and ever more protectionist. If so, could this come at the expense of the security and economic architecture built up over eight decades, which has stood the US and its allies in good stead. If the 2024 presidential election is a mirror, reflecting two Americas at loggerheads over social, cultural, political and constitutional issues and over the country’s future global role, how might this affect the US approach to pressing international challenges, from the ongoing wars in Russia/Ukraine and in the Middle East, to China and trade matters, managing climate change and the transformative – and potentially disruptive – power of AI? And for the UK, what are the implications for the transatlantic alliance?
Lord Lothian was delighted that Sir John Sawers GCMG, Chief of MI6 (2009-2014) and Executive Chairman of Newbridge Advisory, had agreed to be his guest of honour and to speak on ‘Can A Divided America Stand: After The US Election, What Next For Global Politics?’. With GSF Advisory Board member, the Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind KC in the chair, we are delighted to welcome Sir John back to GSF and to hold this event in memory of and in tribute to Lord Lothian.
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When: Tuesday 19th November 2024
Attendance: By invitation only
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
SIR JOHN SAWERS GCMG has spent his career dealing with foreign policy and international security. After several years in the intelligence service, MI6, Sir John worked as a diplomat in the Middle East, Africa and the United States. He was foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair and went on to be Ambassador to Egypt, Political Director in the Foreign Office and UK Ambassador to the United Nations in New York. In 2009, he was called back to London to become Chief of MI6, a position he held for five years. As MI6 Chief, he took part in the UK National Security Council and the Joint Intelligence Committee, contributing to the strategies and policy decisions on how to promote and protect British interests around the World. He led MI6 through a period of international political upheaval and high terrorist threat, including against the 2012 London Olympics. He also modernised the way the Service works and created a more open approach to public accountability. Since leaving public service, Sir John has advised private sector leaders on geopolitics and political risk. In 2019, he set up his own company, Newbridge Advisory. He was also a Non-Executive Director of BP from 2015 to 2024. Sir John studied at the universities of Nottingham, St Andrews and Harvard. In addition to his corporate work, he has pro bono roles with King’s College London, Nottingham University, the Council on Foreign Relations, Chatham House, the European Council on Foreign Relations, the Royal United Services Institute, the Bilderberg Association and the Ditchley Foundation.
THE RT HON SIR MALCOLM RIFKIND KC was elected as MP for Pentlands in 1974, which he represented until 1997. He became a member of the Cabinet in 1986 as Secretary of State for Scotland. In 1990 he became Secretary of State for Transport and in 1992, Secretary of State for Defence. From 1995-97 he was Foreign Secretary. In 1997 he was knighted in recognition of his public service. Sir Malcolm was re-elected as a MP in May 2005 for Kensington & Chelsea and he was elected as MP for Kensington in May 2010 until his retirement at the 2015 general election. He was Chairman of the Intelligence & Security Committee of Parliament (2010-2015), and he was appointed in 2015 by the OSCE as member of their Eminent Persons Panel examining Russia-West relations and the crisis in Ukraine. He is currently a Visiting Professor at the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London and a Distinguished Fellow of RUSI.