Statement Signatories 121418
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November 11, 2018 Transatlantic Democracy Working Group Statement on Central European University As members and supporters of the bipartisan Transatlantic Democracy Working Group, we see the refusal of the Hungarian government to enable the prestigious Central European University (CEU) to continue operating its campus in Budapest as a serious blow to academic freedom in Hungary. Protecting institutions of higher education is an essential part of democracy. A crackdown on academic freedom is one of a series of dangerous developments in Hungary under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The campaign against the CEU is a highly symbolic move against a vital institution founded to promote the transatlantic values of democracy, openness, and equality of opportunity. Founded in 1991, CEU is a graduate-level university based in Budapest, in partnership with Bard College, and with academic accreditation in Hungary and the State of New York. Because it is a joint American-Hungarian institution, it has support across the political spectrum in the United States and at all levels of our government. Michael Ignatieff, President and Rector of the CEU, thanked the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Cornstein as well as the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Congress, the Office of the Governor of New York, and the New York State Education Department for their efforts to secure an agreement certifying CEU for continued operation in Hungary. Ambassador Cornstein took a principled stand in using the #IStandWithCEU hashtag on the embassy website. The Hungarian government, however, has refused to sign this agreement for almost one full year. As the Trump administration has sought “principled engagement” with Hungary, we see the unwillingness of the Hungarian government to reciprocate in a principled manner to a priority request from the U.S. government as an insult that damages the future of U.S.-Hungarian relations. When an illiberal leader takes adversarial action against an institution with U.S. roots, the U.S. must acknowledge this as a breach, say so publicly, and hold the government to account through clear, responsive action. As a member of NATO, we must also ensure that Hungary is accountable in upholding democratic freedoms; NATO’s strength depends on it. CEU must receive full recertification by December 1, 2018 or it will be forced to relocate to Austria. But, the Hungarian government’s brazen procrastination has already done irreparable damage to this prestigious university in Hungary and may have delayed matters until it is too late for a solution. There should be consequences for the bilateral relationship because of the failure to act in good faith with the United States to protect our joint interest in the CEU, including by downgrading the level of meetings with Hungarian officials. Ambassador Cornstein and his U.S. government colleagues have stood up for a principled relationship with Hungary in standing with CEU. We believe that it is necessary for the American interest to stand tough against Hungary’s illiberal challenge and continue to publicly hold the government of Hungary accountable, including from high levels in DC, for its attack on academic freedom, democratic institutions, and principles. Signatories: TDWG Members and Supporters Signatories have joined in their individual capacities. Institutional affiliation is listed for identification purposes only. Ambassador Norm Eisen, Steering Security and Cooperation in Europe; Committee Co-Chair, Transatlantic Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Working Group; Senior Fellow, Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor The Brookings Institution; former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Marc Behrendt, Director of Europe and Eurasia Programs, Freedom House Jeff Gedmin, Steering Committee Co- Chair, Transatlantic Democracy Working Rob Berschinski, Senior Vice President for Group; Editor-in-Chief, The American Policy, Human Rights First; former Deputy Interest; former President and CEO, Radio Assistant Secretary of State for Free Europe / Radio Liberty Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Susan Corke, Director of Secretariat, Nicole Bibbins Sedaca, Professor and Transatlantic Democracy Working Group; Chair, Georgetown University School of Senior Resident Fellow, The German Foreign Service Marshall Fund of the United States Thomas Carothers, Senior Vice President Mike Abramowitz, President, Freedom for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for House; former director of the U.S. International Peace Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Levine Institute for Holocaust Education. Mike Carpenter, Senior Director, Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Paige Alexander, Executive Director, Engagement; former Deputy Assistant European Cooperative for Rural Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Development; former Assistant Eurasia, and the Balkans Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, U.S. Agency for International Development Sarah Cleveland, Professor of Human and Constitutional Rights and Faculty, Anders Åslund, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Columbia University Law School; Member Council of the European Commission for Democracy Through Law (Venice Ambassador Adrian A. Basora , Co-Chair, Commission) Eurasia Program and Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute; former Nicholas Danforth, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Bipartisan Policy Center Ambassador Dan Baer, former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Stanford Carl Gershman, President of the National Freeman Spogli Institute for International Endowment for Democracy Studies; Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution (signed 11/13/2018) Maxim Eristavi, Nonresident Research James Goldgeier, Visiting Senior Fellow, Fellow in the Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council on Foreign Relations; Professor, Council School of International Service, American University Gregory Feifer, Executive Director, Institute of Current World Affairs Stephen Grand, Visiting Professor at the Free University in Amsterdam Ambassador Lee Feinstein, former U.S. Ambassador to Poland (signed 12/12/ Daniel S. Hamilton, Professor and 2018) Executive Director, Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins Jamie Fly, Senior Fellow and Director of SAIS; President, Transatlantic Leadership the Future of Geopolitics and Asia Network; former Deputy Assistant programs, The German Marshall Fund Secretary of State for European Affairs Ira Forman, Senior Advisor for Combatting Melinda Haring, Editor, Atlantic Council; Antisemitism, Human Rights First; Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute Fellow, Center for Jewish Civilization, Georgetown University School of Foreign Melissa Hooper, Director for Human Service; former U.S. State Department Rights and Civil Society, Human Rights Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat First Anti-Semitism Alex T. Johnson, Senior Policy Advisor for Jacob Freedman, Senior Director, Albright Europe and Eurasia, Open Society Stonebridge Group; former Chief Foundations Speechwriter, Secretaries of Defense Chuck Hagel and Leon Panetta; M.A. Robert Kagan, Stephen & Barbara Central European University Friedman Senior Fellow, Project on International Order and Strategy, Foreign Dr. Francis Fukuyama, Director for Center Policy, The Brookings Institution on Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law; Senior Fellow, Stanford Freeman Jonathan Katz, Senior Fellow, German Spogli Institute for International Studies Marshall Fund of the United States; former Deputy Assistant Administrator Charles Gati, Research Professor of Europe and Eurasia, U.S. Agency for European and Eurasian Studies, Johns International Development Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies; former Senior Advisor with the Ambassador Ian Kelly, former U.S. Policy Planning Staff, U.S. Department of Ambassador to the Organization for State Security and Cooperation in Europe; Damir Marusic, Executive Editor, The former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia American Interest Andrew Kenealy, Research Analyst, Elisa Massimino, Senior Fellow, Carr Governance Studies, The Brookings Center for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy Institution School of Government, Harvard University Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Senior Fellow and Thomas O. Melia, Washington Director, Director of the Transatlantic Security PEN America; former Assistant Program, Center for a New American Administrator for Europe and Eurasia, U.S. Security Agency for International Development; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State James Kirchick, Visiting Fellow, Center on for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor the United States and Europe, Project on International Order and Strategy, The Blaise Misztal, Director of National Brookings Institution Security, Bipartisan Policy Center Harold Koh, Sterling Professor of Ambassador Derek Mitchell, President, International Law, Yale Law School; former National Democratic Institute; former U.S. Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State; Ambassador to Myanmar former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Yascha Mounk, Lecturer, Harvard University Richard Kraemer, Fellow, Eurasia Program, Foreign Policy Research Institute Joshua Muravchik, Distinguished Fellow, World Affairs Institute David J. Kramer, former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Fron Nahzi, Senior Director of Global Rights, and Labor Development, McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State Bernard-Henri Levy, Philosopher, University Filmmaker, and Activist (signed 11/13/2018) Suzanne Nossel, CEO, PEN America; former Deputy