ambassador speeches

“Do Think Tanks Have a Policy Impact?”
Remarks at the Seminar organized by American Information Center 

September 5, 2005

Greetings.  I would like to warmly welcome our guest speakers and invited guests to our conference, organized by the American Information Center of the U.S. Embassy, on the seminal topic, “Do Think Tanks Have a Policy Impact?” 

We are fortunate to have with us a number of distinguished experts in this field, including two guest speakers from the U.S. -- James McGann of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and Baker Spring from the Heritage Foundation -- who have traveled to Prague to share with us significant case studies of American think tanks that have filled vital roles in developing U.S. foreign policy.  We are equally proud to welcome our other distinguished guests from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, including  Jiri Schneider of Prague Atlantic Security Studies, Grigorij Meseznikov and Martin Butora of IVO in Slovakia, and so many others who have agreed to share their time and experiences with us during the next couple of days. 

In the United States, there is a significant relationship between the government and the many think tanks that exist there.  This relationship is both complementary and challenging.  On one hand, governments are frequently guided by what they can accomplish during their set term of office, whereas think tanks and other policy organizations are staffed by experts with many years of involvement in particular issues, who are thus able to provide both institutional memory and a long-term view.  Governments engage in significant internal debate through the inter-agency process and then present a united policy.  Think tanks carry this debate forward through active discussion and the broader involvement of the private sector, non-government organizations, experts and ordinary citizens.  Along the way, they raise questions, affect levels of support, and frequently help refine and shape the initial policy plan.

For many, the path between government service and think tanks is a fluid one; government workers with a long and distinguished career in government service may move to a think tank, while think tank experts are equally likely to accept positions in new administrations where they bring their expertise to bear in support of that administration’s proposed policies.  This cross-fertilization is both necessary and important; think tanks must understand the process by which the government operates if they hope to influence it, and governments need the expertise of think tanks to form both a solid background for its policies, and to help raise support for them.

Finally, it is important to recall that a democracy is more than a set of government institutions.  It must reflect the free flow of ideas between governments and the people who elect them.  Think tanks make this possible by creating both the environment and an organized process that encourages this exchange.  I look forward to hearing from our guest speakers over the next couple of days on what they are doing to impact, challenge, support, and ultimately improve, the formation of government policy.  Thank you for your attention and welcome once again to our discussion on, “Do Think Tanks Have a Policy Impact?”