ABOUT US : ACFR

STATEMENT of PURPOSE

The American Committees on Foreign Relations (ACFR) is a non-partisan, national confederation of city Committees. It fosters dialogue on foreign relations between local and regional civic leaders in the heartland of America and policy makers, practitioners and other experts from the United States and abroad.

ACFR is a central facilitator of public dialogue on every aspect of foreign relations.

ACFR meetings (250–300 a year around the country) aim to be on the cutting edge of events and policy. Our purpose is to encourage much-needed attention to global trends and their impact on foreign policy.

ACFR Committee members know well that the war on terrorism, our domestic security, beneficial commercial and cultural exchanges, and the pursuit of a free and just international order are challenges. An engaged citizenry must understand them and help advance them.

As in the Second World War and the Cold War, the struggles of the 21st century will be long, difficult and complex. They will not succeed without an informed and sustained willingness of the American people to support policies over time, and to challenge them intelligently.

We believe that responsible participation in the American debate on foreign policy cannot simply mean “listening” to what Washington tells the public.

ACFR therefore seeks to broaden the conversation through more personal, face-to-face discussions between local and regional civic leaders and national and international foreign relations experts.

We believe that Americans in the heartland need to contribute to national deliberations, so that policies truly serve the enlightened national interest. American civic leaders must be recognized as informed, concerned citizens, as partners in policy, and as the international citizen-actors they have increasingly become.