Association to Unite the Democracies
Encyclopedia
The Association to Unite the Democracies, or AUD, is an organization devoted to transforming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from a military alliance into a full political union open to other established democracies as well. AUD was founded by Clarence Streit
, New York Times correspondent at the League of Nations
, who wrote the classic pro-world government
work, Union Now
. AUD was the main citizens' group supporting NATO's establishment following World War II
. The organization's proposed union, limited to democratic nations, is in contrast to that of Citizens for Global Solutions
and other world federalist groups that seek to establish an immediate worldwide federation
. In either case, all nations would one day be eligible for accession (in AUD's case, if and when democratic). AUD's motto is "Freedom Comes First, Peace Follows". AUD is now merely an umbrella for two successor organizations, the Streit Council
and the Ashburn Institute, mostly serving to direct funds from the Herb and Mayme Frank Educational Fund to each of those organizations in support of their educational efforts.
Clarence Streit
Clarence Kirschmann Streit was a journalist and Atlanticist who played a prominent role in the Atlantic Movement....
, New York Times correspondent at the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, who wrote the classic pro-world government
World government
World government is the notion of a single common political authority for all of humanity. Its modern conception is rooted in European history, particularly in the philosophy of ancient Greece, in the political formation of the Roman Empire, and in the subsequent struggle between secular authority,...
work, Union Now
Union Now
Union Now is journalist and Atlanticist Clarence Streit's proposal for a federal union of the world's major democracies. The first edition of the book was published in 1939. The book is notable for its contribution to the formation of the Atlantic Movement, spearheaded by such groups as Federal...
. AUD was the main citizens' group supporting NATO's establishment following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The organization's proposed union, limited to democratic nations, is in contrast to that of Citizens for Global Solutions
Citizens for Global Solutions
Citizens for Global Solutions, a grassroots membership organization in the United States, envisions a "future in which nations work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone" and to "building the political will in...
and other world federalist groups that seek to establish an immediate worldwide federation
Federation
A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
. In either case, all nations would one day be eligible for accession (in AUD's case, if and when democratic). AUD's motto is "Freedom Comes First, Peace Follows". AUD is now merely an umbrella for two successor organizations, the Streit Council
Streit Council
The Streit Council for a Union of Democracies is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit foreign-policy organization working toward closer cooperation and deeper integration among the US and Europe, as well as OECD democracies...
and the Ashburn Institute, mostly serving to direct funds from the Herb and Mayme Frank Educational Fund to each of those organizations in support of their educational efforts.