Why a free market of ideas is vital to U.S. democracy

Throughout the United States’ 250-year history, as the nation grew from a series of small, rebel colonies into a global superpower, it’s taken some bold, transformative steps on the world stage. But the U.S. has also stumbled at times.

Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former assistant secretary of state during the Obama administration, noted the importance of a "free market of ideas" within the U.S.

Robert Zoellick, a senior fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a former deputy secretary of state during the George W. Bush administration, noted that open societies “are more likely to self-correct because of the nature of it" are an “underlying strength” of the U.S.

"We always have to fight to preserve that,” he said.

Compass Points from PBS News analyzes prominent international affairs topics and America’s role in a shifting world, breaking down global conflicts, rising tensions, and their implications for U.S. interests. Visit the PBS News website to watch this week's episode.

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