One of the core functions of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is to help participants – who represent current and future leaders from their countries – better understand the United States through the principles of our Founding Fathers and learn how those principles have shaped our country.
For this reason, all global leaders participating in IVLP start their experience with a Federalism Briefing.
These briefings, which are conducted by scholars of the U.S. government and other qualified experts, provide these global leaders with an overview of the founding of our country, with a focus on the Constitution. The briefings explain how the framers of the Constitution were guided by the earliest principles of the United States – human equality, the requirement for government by consent, and the securing of natural rights – as described in the Declaration of Independence.
Specifically, as described by the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission Final Report, “the intent of the framers of the Constitution was to construct a government that would be sufficiently strong to perform those essential tasks that only a government can perform, but not so strong as to jeopardize the people’s liberties.”
It also explains how the Constitution created a system of government that consisted of “three coequal branches at the federal level, checking and balancing the power of each against the others to reduce the risk of abuse of power.” Similarly, the founders believed that “strong states, as competing power centers, would act as counterweights against a potentially overweening central government.”
Federalism Briefings help global leaders to understand that the role of the federal government has evolved since the establishment of the Constitution, and many critical responsibilities remain with state and local governments. The status of the states as “laboratories of democracy” is demonstrated through the International Visitor Leadership Program’s multi-city projects. By traveling to and experiencing U.S. cities large and small, global leaders see how our communities have developed different solutions to similar challenges, reflecting the specific values of those communities.
With this patriotic education at its core, the International Visitor Leadership Program has served for 85 years as one of the most effective tools for U.S. diplomats to identify, influence, and educate key decision makers abroad on issues related to U.S. foreign policy—leading to stronger relationships that support our national security, while delivering economic results for U.S. communities. The Global Ties Network is proud to implement the IVLP, on behalf of and in partnership with the U.S. Department of State.