Athens Democracy Forum

Members of The Common Good had the special opportunity to attend the Athens Democracy Forum, a pivotal conference addressing the impact of the current feeble state of democracy on our world and on businesses alike.

The Athens Democracy Forum was hosted by New York Times Op-Ed columnist Roger Cohen and programmed by editorial board member Serge Schmemann, and was held by the Democracy and Culture Foundation, an independent nonprofit entity, in association with The New York Times. The conference coincides with the Arraiolos Group meeting, bringing together various European Union heads of state in Athens.

The theme was “Reinventing Democracy: New Models for Our Changing World”.

The key topics that were discussed include:

• We and Them: The Tectonic Plates of Nationalism and Multiculturalism

• The Echo Chamber and the Agora: The Use and Abuse of New and Social Media

• The Cost of Inequality: Where Has All the Money Gone?

• Back to Basics: What Must Be Done to Restore Faith in Democracy

The 2019 Athens Democracy Forum gathered acclaimed speakers including: 

•  Prokopios Pavlopoulos, President of Greece

• Michael Higgins, President of Ireland  

• Juan Manuel Santos, Former President, Republic of Colombia

• Bernard-Henri Levy, French Philosopher

• Margrethe Vestager, EU Commissioner

• Wole Soyinka, Poet and Nobel Literature Laureate

• Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor, State of California

• HE Laura Chinchilla, Former President of Costa Rica

• Margot Wallstrom, Foreign Minister of Sweden

• Ivan Krastev, Centre for Liberal Studies

• Maria Schmidt, Advisor to PM Victor Orban

• George Papandreou, Former Prime Minister of Greece

• Jay Weatherill, Industry Professor, University of South Australia

• Kassem Eid, Palestinian-Syrian Refugee

• Sergei Karaganov, Russian Council of Foreign Policy

• Anna Diamantopoulou, Former EU Commissioner

• Katharina Schulze, Leader of the Alliance ‘90/The Greens in Germany

•  Ory Okolloh, Activist & Managing Director, Luminate Africa

• Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Youth Envoy

• Paul Polman, Former C.E.O., Unilever and Co-Founder & Chair, Imagine 

• Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens

•  Annika Savill, Executive Head UNDEF

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Interested in attending future events?

“Trump – Year One” Panel

The Common Good hosted a panel of specialists for a stimulating examination of one of the most extraordinary first 12 months in modern presidential history.

We brought the best and the brightest to break it down – with questions like; What is the impact of this President on our politics, on our institutions, on our economy, on our democratic norms and values, on our international power and prestige? Where are we now? Where are we headed?

listen:

WATCH:

Douglas Brinkley is an award-winning presidential historian and best-selling author covering American Presidents including Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. He is currently professor of history at Rice University and a CNN Presidential Historian. The Chicago Tribune has dubbed him “America’s new past master.”

Roger Cohen is a New York Times columnist with an international perspective. Cohen was a foreign correspondent for more than a decade before becoming foreign editor of the New York Times, and has been a columnist there since 2009. Mr. Cohen has written several books including: “Hearts Grown Brutal: Sagas of Sarajevo,” an account of the wars of Yugoslavia’s destruction, co-authored a biography of Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, and a family memoir. Raised in South Africa and England, he is a naturalized American.

David Frum is Senior Editor at the Atlantic Monthly. He served as a speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush, and later a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, He is the author of nine books, including the New York Times bestseller The Right Man. David Frum’s latest book is Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic. Frum has been listed as one of the most influential public intellectuals in North America.

Dana Perino served as White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush. She currently serves as co-host of FOX News Channel’s “The Five” and anchors “The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino.” While at the network, Perino has contributed to live top-rated election and political coverage. She is the president of Dana Perino and Company, and a frequent public speaker on political trends.

Edward Rollins has long been considered one of America’s premier political strategists and communication experts. He has managed political campaigns for candidates and initiatives in this country and around the world. Mr. Rollins managed President Ronald Reagan’s 49 state landslide reelection campaign in 1984 in which President Reagan won more electoral votes than any President in history.

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Interested in attending future events?