Boris Johnson, who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022, advocated for the future of the “West”at his lecture in Memorial Union’s Great Hall on March 23, discussing global conflicts, free speech and President Donald Trump.
“The West is stronger than ever and American leadership is stronger,” Johnson said.
Hundreds attended the event hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership. Thompson was among notable conservatives at the event, including Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and former Gov. Scott Walker, who serves as president of Young America’s Foundation.
Johnson applauded the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by American special forces as “brilliant,” but criticized other aspects of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda. He discussed the conflict in Ukraine, calling Ukrainians “absolute heroes.”
“They are fighting like lions,” Johnson said. “Putin is never going to conquer that country, but to defeat him fast and spare the loss of human life, what the Ukrainians need is more support.”
The former prime minister also criticized Trump’s role in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran which began a month ago. “There is a growing risk that millions and millions of ordinary people will be steadily impoverished by a war that was completely unnecessary,” Johnson said.
Johnson criticized U.S. allies for having reservations with the war. He said it is in every country’s interest to have a peaceful and non-nuclear Iran, including Iranians. Iran is a source of global terror, he said, but “also part of a great global continuum of malignancy and mutually reinforcing coalition of autocracies: Russia, Iran, China, North Korea — all of them despise Western democracies."
Those governments, he added, hate the everyday freedoms enjoyed by Americans, including students at UW-Madison and in the U.S. “They want to see America fail. Be very clear about that,” Johnson said.
To save the West, he said the West must know who is with them and who is against them.
“When we correctly identify who our friends and who our foes are,” he said, “there is absolutely no power on Earth that will prevail against us.”
After Johnson’s 30-minute lecture, students lined up to ask him questions, which were vetted by organizers at the event. One student asked how to get young people to trust in political institutions. Johnson said the most important thing is to execute on campaign promises.
Another student, senior Chris Norcross, asked how to create meaningful conversations across the aisle in a time of increased political polarization. Johnson said universities are a great place to discuss opposing viewpoints. “Why does it become so acrimonious?" Johnson asked about political debate.
Despite his history as the leader of the UK, Johnson emphasized the importance of the U.S. as a global superpower and world leader.
“A strong America is fundamentally good for the world,” he said. “[Even] with all the mistakes and all the faults, a strong America is what we've got right now.”
