"Promoting Liberty and Stability in the 21st Century: A Norwegian Perspective"

Ms. Siv Jensen, Chairman of the Progress Party, Norway

Siv Jensen

1-2pm, Thursday May 7th 2009
Committee Room 8, The House of Commons

To attend, please RSVP to rosalba.junginger@henryjacksonsociety.org

We currently find ourselves in a time of sweeping economic, social, and political transitions. New challenges such as global terrorism, multiculturalism, and the persistence of totalitarian regimes have led to a sweeping rearrangement in the global balance of power. The Iranian nuclear program remains in full swing under the ultra-conservative leadership of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, posing serious risks to global security. Afghanistan is being gradually recaptured by the Taliban insurgency, which has not only managed to fight back against the most sophisticated armies in the world, but has continued to commit atrocious human rights abuses under self-imposed Sharia law. In Europe, weak immigration policies and failed integration efforts have threatened our own social cohesion, in some cases ghettoizing immigrant populations and breeding reactionary and hostile attitudes towards fellow citizens.

Hailed as 'the Norwegian Margaret Thatcher', Siv Jensen's Progress Party believes traditional development policy with an emphasis on foreign aid has not worked and that a return to classical liberal ideas and geopolitics is imperative to achieving liberty and stability in the 21st century. The key to such development will be the expansion of market economies, free trade, the advancement of democratic institutions, and the protection of human rights. Active international cooperation is also needed in the struggle against international terrorism and radicalisation, in tandem with a restrictive and responsible immigration policy where taking up residency is made subject to obligations. The Progress Party also believes there is no place for religious extremism and intolerant cultural traditions in a democratic society, and that adhering to ideals of freedom will enable us to deal with these challenges more aptly.

By kind invitation of The Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind MP, the Henry Jackson Society is pleased to be able to invite you to a talk with Ms Siv Jensen, Leader & Chair of the Progress Party of Norway, to discuss the Norwegian perspective on the importance of classical liberal values, the new faces of totalitarianism, and the return of geopolitics in the 21st century. With Ms Jensen tipped to be Norwegian Prime Minister at the next election, this should be an excellent opportunity to hear different perspectives from Europe's northern borders.

DATE: Thursday May 7th 2009

TIME: 1-2pm

VENUE: Committee Room 8, The House of Commons

To attend, please RSVP to rosalba.junginger@henryjacksonsociety.org

Siv Jensen is the Leader & Chair of Norway's libertarian conservative Progress Party, a post she has held since 2006. She was first elected to the Storting (the Norwegian Parliament) for Oslo in 1997. Ms Jensen currently also sits on the Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, having previously been a member of the Finance and Economic Affairs Standing Committee. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration.

The Progress Party is Norway's second largest political party and the leading party on the right of the political centre in Norway. It is represented by 38 out of 169 members in the Storting and holds several key positions in the Parliament. At present, the Progress Party has approximately 25,000 members, of which 2,500 are elected officials. It is represented in all 19 counties, including 360 local constituencies, and has 19 mayors.