Editing British-American Project

{{Short description|Organization}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2023}}
The '''British-American Project''' (BAP) is an organisation intended to strengthen links between the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]].<ref name="Beckett_2004">{{cite news |last1=Beckett |first1=Andy |title=Friends in high places |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/nov/06/usa.politics1 |access-date=6 July 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=6 November 2004}}</ref> BAP operates on a not-for-profit basis, funded through its membership and support from corporate partners. It was originally named the '''British-American Project for the Successor Generation'''.<ref name="Beckett_2004"/><ref name=bap-history>{{cite web |url=http://www.baponline.org/historyp2.html |title=History of the Project |publisher=British-American Project |accessdate=9 April 2019 |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930021608/http://www.baponline.org/historyp2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Goals==
Established in 1985, BAP was created to help maintain and enrich the [[Special Relationship (United Kingdom–United States)|long-standing relationship]] between the United Kingdom and the United States. The Project was the brainchild of [[Nick Butler]], an economist at [[BP]], who at that time was also a prospective [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] parliamentary candidate.<ref name="Beckett_2004"/> Along with others in both countries who viewed the special relationship favorably, he had become concerned about a growing tide of anti-American sentiment among his generation in the UK. Butler's response was to propose a series of conferences, developing relationships between the participants and broadening understanding.<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>

A US BAP organiser describes the BAP network as committed to "grooming leaders" while promoting "the leading global role that [the US and Britain] continue to play".<ref name="R000665">{{cite news | first=John | last=Pilger | title=Tainted hands across the water | date=13 December 2007 | url=http://www.newstatesman.com/media/2007/12/pilger-bap-values-british | work=New Statesman | accessdate=2012-11-26 | archive-date=2013-05-08 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508063953/http://www.newstatesman.com/media/2007/12/pilger-bap-values-british | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Organisation==
The British-American Project is affiliated with the [[Johns Hopkins University]]'s [[Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies]] (SAIS). BAP is a non-profit, funded by its members and donations from corporate partners.<ref name="BAP">[http://www.bilderberg.org/bap.htm#own Nick Cohen - ''Without Prejudice'': "Cry freedom... and order a Big Mac - BAP conference"], ''The Observer'', 31 October 1999, hosted at Bilderberg website, accessed 17 June 2013.</ref>{{Dubious|date=October 2020}}

[[Nick Cohen]], writing in ''[[The Observer]]'' in 1999, criticised the scheme on the grounds that it encouraged the adoption in Europe of policy from the United States.<ref name="BAP"/>{{Dubious|date=October 2020}}{{better|reason=link is to the text of the article, but the site hosting it is not a reliable source|date=July 2023}}

[[Andy Beckett]], writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'' in 2004, said of the organisation "You won't have heard of the British-American Project, but its members include some of the most powerful men and women in the UK".<ref name="Beckett_2004"/> He writes that in the work of the organisation "a process of political education can be discerned of which [[J. Howard Pew|J Howard Pew]] would have approved", and that "American notions such as less regulated capitalism, a smaller 'enabling state' and a world kept safe by the Pentagon came to be regarded as sensible, inevitable".<ref name="Beckett_2004"/> He notes that people with military experience are important in BAP.<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>

==Notable current and former members==
===Fellows===
====Politicians====
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Douglas Alexander]], former Labour MP<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Rushanara Ali]], Labour MP<ref name=brown>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/yasmin-alibhai-brown/yasmin-alibhaibrown-this-unhealthy-strain-of-leftwing-mccarthyism-796804.html|title=This unhealthy strain of left-wing McCarthyism|author=Yasmin Alibhai-Brown|work=[[The Independent]]|date=17 March 2008|accessdate=2009-02-06}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Stephen Dorrell]], former Conservative MP and Liberal Democrat<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Steve Hilton]], political commentator and former political adviser<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[David Miliband]], former Labour MP<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Peter Mandelson, Baron Mandelson]], former Labour MP, life peer<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Mo Mowlam]], former Labour MP<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Geoff Mulgan]], academic and former Director of the [[Prime Minister's Strategy Unit]]<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jonathan Powell (aide)|Jonathan Powell]] (Tony Blair's chief of staff)<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen]], former Labour MP<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Patricia Scotland]], diplomat, barrister and Labour life peer<ref name="Beckett_2004"/><ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Alan Sked]], founder of the [[United Kingdom Independence Party]] ([[UKIP]])<ref name="Beckett_2004"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/British_American_Project|title=British American Project - SourceWatch|website=www.sourcewatch.org}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Elizabeth Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean]], trade unionist and Labour life peer<ref name="Beckett_2004"/><ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Matthew Taylor (political strategist)]], former head of the [[Number 10 Policy Unit]], Chief Executive of the [[NHS Confederation]]<ref name="Beckett_2004"/><ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[David Willetts]], former Conservative MP, life peer<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Kate Forbes]], [[Deputy First Minister of Scotland]] and [[Scottish National Party]] MSP
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Anas Sarwar]], [[Scottish Labour Party]] Leader
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Diana Villiers Negroponte]], trade lawyer and academic<ref name='R000665'/>

====Journalists====
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Yasmin Alibhai-Brown]], ''The Independent'', ''The London Evening Standard''<ref name="Beckett_2004"/><ref name='R000665'/><ref name=brown/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[George Brock (journalist)|George Brock]], ''The Times''<ref name="tom" />
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Diane Coyle]], ''The Independent''<ref name="tom" />
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Evan Davis]], BBC<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Daniel Drezner]], ''The Wall Street Journal'', ''The New Republic'', ''Foreign Affairs'', ''Foreign Policy'', ''The New York Times'', ''Slate'', ''Tech Central Station'', among others<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.danieldrezner.com/archives/000887.html
|title=I'm off to join another secret cabal
|author=Daniel Drezner
|date=November 12, 2003}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Daniel Franklin]], ''The Economist''<ref name="tom" />
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jane Hill]], BBC<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishamericanproject.org/aboutbap.asp|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150316014330/http://www.britishamericanproject.org/aboutbap.asp|url-status=dead|title=Welcome to the British-American Project|date=16 March 2015|archive-date=16 March 2015|website=archive.is}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Isabel Hilton]], ''The Independent'', ''The Guardian'', BBC<ref name="tom" />
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Frederick Kempe]], ''The Wall Street Journal''<ref name="tom" />
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Charles Moore (journalist)|Charles Moore]], ''The Daily Telegraph'', ''The Sunday Telegraph'', ''The Spectator''<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[James Naughtie]], BBC<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Jeremy Paxman]], BBC<ref name='R000665'/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Rowan Pelling]], ''The Daily Telegraph''<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3644013/Subversive-politics-and-honey-traps-never-pall.html
|title=Subversive politics and honey traps never pall
|date=13 Nov 2007
|author=Rowan Pelling
|work=The Telegraph}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Trevor Phillips]], BBC<ref name="tom">{{cite web|url=http://www.bilderberg.org/bap.htm#Tom|title=Transatlantic Elite - BAP - British American Project for the successor generation - Peter Mandelson|website=www.bilderberg.org}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=October 2020}}
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Caroline St John-Brooks]], ''The Times Educational Supplement'', ''The Sunday Times''<ref name="tom" />
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Joel Stein]], ''LA Times''<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-stein30nov30,0,991121.column
|title=Changing the world a drink at a time
|author=Joel Stein
|date=November 30, 2007 
|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

====Arts and media====
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Margaret Hill (journalist)|Margaret Hill]], BBC current affairs producer<ref name="tom" />
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Benjamin Zephaniah]], poet<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>

====Other====
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Janet Bloomfield]], peace and disarmament campaigner<ref>{{cite news |last1=Elworthy |first1=Scilla |title=Obituary: Janet Bloomfield |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/apr/30/guardianobituaries.politics |access-date=6 July 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=30 April 2007}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Shami Chakrabarti]], Former director, Liberty<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ditchley.co.uk/page/64/the-governors.htm |title=The Governors |publisher=Ditchley Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926002401/http://www.ditchley.co.uk/page/64/the-governors.htm |archive-date=26 September 2006}}</ref>{{Dubious|date=October 2020}}
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Caroline, Lady Dalmeny]], former defence policy analyst<ref>[http://www.rusi.org/about/staff/associates/ref:B520D131E40215/ Royal United Services Institute Fellows and Associates]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315024122/http://www.rusi.org/about/staff/associates/ref%3AB520D131E40215/ |date=March 15, 2015 }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Julia Hobsbawm]], writer and public speaker<ref name="Beckett_2004"/>
*{{flagicon|GBR}} [[Hardeep Singh Kohli]] British presenter and comedian<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=2023-09-01 |title=British-American Project at war after Hardeep Singh Kohli appointment |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/09/01/british-american-project-hardeep-singh-kohli-vote/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.britishamericanproject.org/ British-American Project] (official website)
* [http://www.bilderberg.org/bap.htm Transatlantic Elite - British American Project for the successor generation]  ''collection of articles from various publications''{{Dubious|date=October 2020}}

[[Category:United Kingdom–United States relations]]
[[Category:Political organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Political organisations based in the United Kingdom]]