What is Atlantic Charter?

• IAS NEXT, Lucknow
• 13, Nov 2021

Reference News:

U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Robert Spalding has announced the Digital Atlantic Charter initiative, a public-private effort focused on safeguarding democracies worldwide.

About the initiative:

• It is created in the spirit of the Atlantic Charter and following the recent AUKUS trilateral security partnership between Australia, U.K. and the U.S.
• The initiative supports countries in every region of the world as they work to protect and ensure the resilience of their critical infrastructure.
• The initiative provides policy advice, an investment vehicle and a technology development platform to help government agencies and commercial entities counter digital authoritarianism.

Background:

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recently inspected documents related to the Atlantic Charter, a declaration signed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1941.

• The two leaders plan to sign what they’re calling a new Atlantic Charter, pledging to “defend the principles, values, and institutions of democracy and open societies.”

About the Atlantic Charter:

The Atlantic Charter was a joint declaration issued during World War II (1939-45) by the United States and Great Britain that set out a vision for the postwar world.

• First announced on August 14, 1941, a group of 26 Allied nations eventually pledged their support by January 1942.
• Among its major points were a nation’s right to choose its own government, the easing of trade restrictions and a plea for postwar disarmament.
• The document is considered one of the first key steps toward the establishment of the United Nations in 1945.

What Was Included In The Atlantic Charter?

The Atlantic Charter included eight common principles. This includes:

1. The United States and Britain agreed not to seek territorial gains from the war, and they opposed any territorial changes made against the wishes of the people concerned.
2. To support the restoration of self-government to those nations who had lost it during the war.
3. People should have the right to choose their own form of government.