Henry Jackson Society

The Statement of Principles of Henry Jackson Society (HJS) elucidates, with blatant arrogance and aggression, a modern colonialist attitude that updates, but doesn’t refine, the violent European colonialism of the 19th century.  Three of these principles combined (nos. 3, 6 and 7 on HSJ statement and reproduced below) make clear that the HJS is a PR lobbying group for violent military action against any state that does not conform to capitalist control.

• [The HSJ] supports the maintenance of a strong military, by the United States, the countries of the European Union and other democratic powers, armed with expeditionary capabilities with a global reach, that can protect our homelands from strategic threats, forestall terrorist attacks, and prevent genocide or massive ethnic cleansing.
• [The HSJ] believes that only modern liberal democratic states are truly legitimate, and that the political or human rights pronouncements of any international or regional organisation which admits undemocratic states lack the legitimacy to which they would be entitled if all their members were democracies.
• [The HSJ] gives two cheers for capitalism.  There are limits to the market, which needs to serve the Democratic Community and should be reconciled to the environment.

The signatories to the Statement of Principles (HJS Signatories) include some of the most disreputable and most unpleasant Tory MPs: Damian Collins, Stephen Crabb, Michael Gove, Stephen Hammond, Robert Halfron, Greg Hands and Edward Vaizey; Labour signatories include Fabian Hamilton, Chris Bryant and Gisela Stuart; other signatories include right-wing journalist Stephen Pollard.

HJS is an extremist imperialist pressure group that promotes the complete hegemony of capitalist exploitation backed by military force.  It executes the inter-connected tasks of aggressive attacks on any political viewpoint, activity or movement that does not stick rigidly to acceptance of capitalist control alongside a gleeful demand for greater and greater government funding of the military.  Keeping the welfare system for the arms industry well-oiled is a key objective. 

Its director Alan Mendoza enjoys spouting random incoherent mini-diatribes aimed at either the Chinese government or at Islam.  His output is similar to Donald Trump’s with slightly better punctuation. 

HJS publications reflect Mendoza’s choice of targets: Islam and the Chinese government, and there is plenty of promotion of the imaginary concept of “Global Britain.”  In ‘The South China Sea: Why It Matters To Global Britain’ the authors said

“the Royal Navy [should be] bolstered to meet the growing challenge from China and other revisionist states, [and] also maintain a persistent, if not permanent, naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region, and Southeast Asia and the South China Sea in particular.”

The above is typical of the new colonialism of HJS with rancid xenophobia accompanied by encouragement of military posturing and violence.

Nafeez Ahmed revealed in Trumpocracy In The UK the duonanistic relationship between HJS and extreme-right USA think-tank Gatestone Institute and connections between white supremacist Steve Bannon and HJS. 

Ahmed pointed to several examples of HJS policy or papers influencing or pre-determining Tory party policy.  Right-wing think-tanks influence Tory policy routinely but, often, papers that describe policy, that is later the policy of the government, are written by Tory MPs who use the think-tanks as vehicles to express, or essay, ideas.  Whether think-tank members influence Tory MPs or Tory MPs create or write for think-tanks, is, ultimately, exactly the same procedure.

Mark Curtis and Matt Kennard listed many direct connections between senior Tory MPs and HJS in HJS and Tory party including payments by HJS to the MPs and £83,452.32 paid to HJS by the Home Office in four payments during 2015-17 to produce a report on UK connections to “Islamist terrorism.”

Recommended reading
Rhondda MP Chris Bryant’s Pact With War Hawk Lobbyists

Links to brief descriptions of other right-wing think-tanks

• Institute For Free Trade
• Centre for Policy Studies
• BICOM
• Countryside Alliance
• Policy Network
• Tax-Payers’ Alliance
• Progress Online
  
• Industry and Parliamentary Trust
• Royal United Services Institute
• Bruges Group
• Human Security Centre
• Freedom Association
• Policy Exchange
• Migration Watch
• CapX
• Institute of Economic Affairs
• Centre for Social Justice
• Adam Smith Institute
• Bow Group
• British Foreign Policy Group
• Legatum Institute
• 1828
• Due Process
• Unherd
• Reasoned
• FREER
• The Free Speech Union
• Orthodox Conservatives

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