Reagan’s playbook still works in a dangerous world

American foreign policy is again being tested by regimes that censor, jail, and kill to stay in power. President Ronald Reagan had a bold vision to anticipate a response to these atrocities. He believed that strong citizens, not just strong states, would shape the future.

One hundred and fifteen years since his birth, that idea is still playing out in the most dangerous corners of the world, where people risk everything to speak, assemble, worship, and build accountable institutions — and where U.S. strategic interests are often on the line.