PAST EVENTS
The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan: Steve Coll
The Common Good was pleased to present a special discussion with the inestimable Steve Coll. Coll briefed us on America’s covert involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan and its impact on our intervention there, as detailed in his recent New York Times best seller, Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan
The Common Good was pleased to present a special discussion with Steve Coll, Pulitzer Price-winning journalist, Dean of Columbia School of Journalism, and staff writer at The New Yorker, generously hosted by Rubén Kraiem, Partner, Covington & Burling. Coll briefed us on America’s covert involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan and its impact on our intervention there, as detailed in his recent New York Times best seller, Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America’s Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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Coll knows the true story of this regional conflict — how our own intelligence and military services have often been at odds with each other, the nature of Pakistan’s often duplicitous relationship with the US, as seen in efforts by Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), and their covert support for the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Coll’s analysis of these covert operations is extremely timely as we remain enmeshed in the region.
“The dance of blame, with the US swaying at one moment towards Pakistan and the next towards Afghanistan, is a choreography familiar to CIA chiefs, US presidents and writers who have tackled the subject. Coll refuses to follow this tired tune, and the result is masterful”
Steve Coll was appointed Dean of Columbia Journalism School in 2013 after serving as president of New America Foundation (2007-2012. He joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2005 and continues to write for the publication on politics, national security, and the media. Coll is also the author of eight nonfiction books, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and a former reporter, foreign correspondent and senior editor at the Washington Post (1985-2005).
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Special Screening of “Letters from Baghdad” and Panel Discussion
The Common Good was pleased to present a special screening of the film, “Letter from Baghdad,” followed by a panel discussion with moderator Alex Witt, MSNBC anchor, the film’s award-winning filmmakers, Sabine Krayenbühl & Zeva Oelbaum, and former Middle East bureau chief at Newsday, Mohamad Bazzi.
The Common Good was pleased to present a special screening of the film, “Letter from Baghdad,” followed by a panel discussion with moderator Alex Witt, MSNBC anchor, the film’s award-winning filmmakers, Sabine Krayenbühl & Zeva Oelbaum, and former Middle East bureau chief at Newsday, Mohamad Bazzi.
“Letter from Baghdad” is the story of a true original-Gertrude Bell- who was sometime called “female” Lawrence of Arabia. Bell shaped the modern Middle East after World War 1 in ways that still reverberate today. She was arguably the most powerful woman In the British empire in her day. The film is narrated and executive produced by Academy Award-winning actor Tilda Swinton.
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“Letters from Baghdad provides a sturdy, often exhilarating bridge between the present and a past that not only isn’t distant, but isn’t even really past. ”
“Letters from Baghdad reaffirms Bell’s legacy as pivotal in the West’s understanding of the Middle East ”
Sabine Krayenbühl (Director/Editor) is an award winning editor with over 20 theatrical documentaries and narrative features to her credit, many of which have premiered at prestigious festivals around the world. Her work includes Oscar and Independent Spirit Award nominated My Architect for which she received an American Cinema Editors (ACE) Eddie Award nomination. (1)
Zeva Oelbaum (Director/Producer) is an award winning producer and photographer. She recently produced Ahead of Time, a feature documentary about centenarian journalist Ruth Gruber which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before garnering six Best Documentary awards. Her photographs are in international public collections including the Bibliothèque nationale de France and The Brooklyn Museum and two monographs of her work have been published by Rizzoli Int’l Publishers. (1)
Mohamad Bazzi is adjunct senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is also an assistant professor of journalism at New York University, where he teaches international reporting. He was the 2007-2008 Edward R. Murrow press fellow at CFR. (2)
Alex Witt hosts the MSNBC show “MSNBC live with Alex Witt” on Saturday’s and Sundays. In the wake of the September 11th attacks on America, Witt broadcast from the world Trade Center and has continued to follow the war on terrorism in the Middle East and in Iraq. Alex was a Consultant on the third and final season of Aaron Sorkin “The Newsroom” on HBO.
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(1) Material from the Letters from Baghdad website.
(2) Material from the Council on Foreign Relations.
A Conversation with Rob Riemen, “To Fight Against This Age: On Fascism and Humanism”
The Common Good presented a special conversation with Rob Riemen, public intellectual and founder of the Nexus Institute in Amsterdam. Riemen offered a thoughtful meditation on the rise of authoritarian and xenophobic strains in many corners of contemporary Europe and beyond, and how the romanticization of authoritarianism in the western societies contributes to the steady erosion of democratic ideals.
The Common Good presented a special conversation with Rob Riemen, public intellectual and founder of the Nexus Institute in Amsterdam. Riemen offered a thoughtful meditation on the rise of authoritarian and xenophobic strains in many corners of contemporary Europe and beyond, and how the romanticization of authoritarianism in the western societies contributes to the steady erosion of democratic ideals. We ignore the new global changes at our own peril, is a warning that Riemen has sounded for some time that resonance in our hemisphere as well. Reimen’s latest book, “To Fight Against This Age: On Fascism and Humanism”, is already a bestseller in many countries.
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“Extremely relevant, urgent call to receive true democracy and acknowledge the perils of the fascist ideology”
“This is a book for the people who want the West to regain its moral high ground, and who want to think hard about how to help help achieve that. ”
“Rob Riemen is one of the great modern champions of the enlightenment and the best of its legacy. ”
Rob Riemen, a European public intellectual and cultural critic, is the founder, president and CEO of the Nexus Institute, a leading international center for philosophical debate and and intellectual discourse. The Nexus Institute was founded in 1994 by Riemen to stimulate intellectual debate in the European tradition of humanism. The Nexus Institute is widely acknowledged for the quality of its insight into contemporary issues and an approach that offers the appreciation of the humanistic culture and philosophy as a counterweight to the dominance of commercial values in today’s society. Riemen has lectured around the world and is also an international best-selling author with a number of critically acclaimed publications.
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“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?
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?
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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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Hurricanes, Climate, and Responsible Energy Policies for the Future
The Common Good Hosted a conversation with Dr.Lawrence Rocks, who provided us with an in-depth presentation on “ Hurricanes Climate, and Responsible Energy Policies for the Future”.
The Common Good Hosted a conversation with Dr. Lawrence Rocks, who provided us with an in-depth presentation on “Hurricanes, Climate, and Responsible Energy Policies for the Future”. Dr. Rocks is a distinguished chemist and energy expert who was instrumental in creating the US Department of Energy. Works of his, such as The Energy Crisis, have been cited by the Environmental Protection Agency and major publications such as The New York Times. He is one of the most credible and tireless voices of environmental protections. This event was hosted by Richard Farley.
Dr. Lawrence Rocks is a world renowned chemist, energy expert, and author. He authored the acclaimed book, The Energy Crisis and was influential in the creation of the US Department of Energy by the Carter administration. Dr. Rocks has been featured in Time Magazine and National Review. and has addressed the United Nations, appeared on the Today Show, To Tell The Truth, The Mike Douglas Show and the column in King Features Syndicate.
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The Press, Fake News and Politics: Chris Ruddy
The Common Good presented an intimate conversation with Christopher Ruddy, CEO and President of Newsmax Media, Inc., one of the nation’s leading online news companies. His influence on the news narrative and with President Trump makes him a force to be reckoned with. The event was introduced by Peter Maroney and co-hosted by James Higgins.
The Common Good presented an intimate conversation with Christopher Ruddy, CEO and President of Newsmax Media, Inc., one of the nation’s leading online news companies. His influence on the news narrative and with President Trump makes him a force to be reckoned with. The event was introduced by Peter Maroney and co-hosted by James Higgins.
Christopher Ruddy is CEO of Newsmax Media, Inc. one of the nation’s leading online news companies. In 1998, Mr. Ruddy founded Newsmax Media, a broadcasting and multimedia publishing company whose content covers news, politics, health, lifestyle and finance. His Newsmax TV channel is carried in over 35 million U.S. cable homes and the company’s flagship website, Newsmax.com, is consistently ranked as one of the country’s most trafficked and influential news websites. Forbes has called Newsmax a “news powerhouse.”
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The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2017
The Common Good Forum assembled some of the brightest thinkers in the US for a dynamic overview of our rapidly changing landscape. We put the spotlight on public policy choices and exciting developments affecting us all – making the nation and the world safer, creating shared economic prosperity, and bolstering our democratic values.
The Common Good Forum assembled some of the brightest thinkers in the US for a dynamic overview of our rapidly changing landscape. We put the spotlight on public policy choices and exciting developments affecting us all – making the nation and the world safer, creating shared economic prosperity, and bolstering our democratic values.
WOMEN’S BREAKFAST
Felicia Taylor – Moderator
One Woman Posts – The World Responds
Presentation of American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism by Silda Wall Spitzer to Teresa Shook, who inspired the Women’s March
Remember the Women!
Building the Women’s History Museum
Special report from Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and Congressional Commissioners Jane Abraham, Mary Boies & Emily Rafferty
Empowering Women – What’s Next?
Remarks by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand followed by Q&A
POLITICS AND PRESS
Press Under Fire – Panel
Steven Brill – Moderator – Journalist, Author, Founder, American Lawyer & CourtTV
Floyd Abrams, First Amendment expert
Elizabeth Spayd, Public Editor, New York Times
John Podhoretz, Editor, Commentary Magazine
Protests, Populism, & New Political Landscape – Panel
Ari Melber – Moderator – Chief Legal Correspondent, MSNBC
Shaunna Thomas, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, UltraViolet
David Burstein, CEO & Co-Founder of Run for America
Max Read, Senior Editor, New York Magazine
THE ECONOMY
New Era of Global Trade
Marc Busch, US Trade Expert; Int’l Business Diplomacy, Georgetown University; former advisor to Marco Rubio’s Presidential Campaign
Economic Investment Environment
Seth Masters, Chief Investment Officer, Bernstein Global Wealth Management
GLOBAL THREATS & OPPORTUNITIES
Jim Hoge – Moderator
China – N. Korea
Orville Schell – Arthur Ross Director of the Center on U.S.- China Relations, Asia Society
France – Europe
Ambassador Jane Hartley – Former US Ambassador to France
Presentation of American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service
Senator John McCain – Senator for Arizona, Awardee
Chele Chiavacci Farley – Presentation of Award – Managing Director, Mistral Capital International
ECONOMY - THE BIG PICTURE
Growing the Economy and Jobs – Comments on the Trump Agenda
Omeed Malik – Moderator – Managing Director, Global Head of Capital Strategy, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Anthony Scaramucci – Founder, SkyBridge Capital, President Trump Transition Team
GLOBAL THREATS & OPPORTUNITIES
Introduction
Jonathan Tepperman – Managing Editor, Foreign Affairs Magazine
Homeland Security in the Trump Years
Secretary Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security
Presentation of American Spirit Award for Distinguished Public Service
Secretary John Kerry, former Secretary of State
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Post-Election Panel 2016
This historic and wildly unpredictable election has left many in America stunned and divided. What happened? And more important, what is ahead? The Common Good hosted a ‘Post-Election Panel’ to discuss ‘The New Political Landscape–History in the Making’ for a candid discussion on the winners and losers, and what it means for our nation.
This historic and wildly unpredictable election has left many in America stunned and divided. What happened? And more important, what is ahead? The Common Good hosted a ‘Post-Election Panel’ to discuss ‘The New Political Landscape–History in the Making’ for a candid discussion on the winners and losers, and what it means for our nation.
Confirmed panelists included Trump Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway, investigative journalist-author Carl Bernstein of Watergate fame, and Libertarian Party Vice Presidential candidate, former Governor William Weld.
Kellyanne Conway was tapped in the final months to serve as Campaign Manager for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign of President and is greatly credited for helping Trump win the election. Conway has been a highly regarded pollster as former founder and President of the polling company, inc./ WomanTrend, which is a privately-held, woman-owned corporation founded in 1995. The firm is headquartered in Washington, DC and maintains an office in New York City. Conway is one of the most quoted and noted pollsters on the national scene, having provided commentary on over 1,200 television shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, HBO, Comedy Central, MTV and the Fox News Channel, and numerous radio shows and print stories.
Carl Bernstein shared a Pulitzer Prize with Bob Woodward for his coverage of Watergate for The Washington Post. His most recent book is the acclaimed biography, A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton. He is the author, with Woodward, of All the President’s Men and The Final Days, and, with Marco Politi, of His Holiness: John Paul II and the History of Our Time. He is also the author of Loyalties, a memoir about his parents during McCarthy–era Washington. He has written for Vanity Fair (he is also a contributing editor), Time, USA Today, Rolling Stone, and The New Republic.
He was a Washington bureau chief and correspondent for ABC News. At The Washington Post, Bernstein also was a part-time rock critic, and he still occasionally writes about music. He lives with his wife, Christine, in New York.
William Floyd Weld is an American attorney, businessman, and Republican politician who served as the 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. A Harvard and Oxford graduate, Weld began his career as legal counsel to the United States House Committee on the Judiciary before becoming the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and, later, the United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. He worked on a series of high-profile public corruption cases and later resigned in protest of an ethics scandal and associated investigations into Attorney General Edwin Meese.
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Creating a Great Economy: Lincoln’s Surprising Relevance Today
President Lincoln will be forever enshrined in the national consciousness for his moral courage in abolishing slavery. But economist and author Norton Garfinkle explained how this great president also has strong lessons for us today on how a great nation is built upon an economy based on shared progress. Garfinkle talked about Lincoln’s life and achievements anew through this important and refreshing lens – and show how Lincoln’s approach on the economy, from railroads, bridges, to commerce, are more relevant than ever in the times we live in today.
It is not just a prediction, but front page headlines and our new reality – the US middle class is shrinking and now makes up only 50% of our people. Our roads, bridges, railroads, ports and other infrastructure get a D+ rating by civil engineers. Income inequality is on the rise and a hot political issue. Creating broad-based prosperity, economic fairness, and opportunity can no longer be ignored.
President Lincoln will be forever enshrined in the national consciousness for his moral courage in abolishing slavery. But economist and author Norton Garfinkle explained how this great president also has strong lessons for us today on how a great nation is built upon an economy based on shared progress.
Garfinkle talked about Lincoln’s life and achievements anew through this important and refreshing lens – and show how Lincoln’s approach on the economy, from railroads, bridges, to commerce, are more relevant than ever in the times we live in today.
Norton Garfinkle is an economist, businessman and public servant. He is chairman of Princeton Scientific Capital Management, a financial investment company. He is also chairman of Princeton SciTech, an investment company that specializes in building new internet based technology companies.
Garfinkle is Chairman of the Future of American Democracy Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation in partnership with Yale University Press and the Yale Center for International and Area Studies, dedicated to research and education aimed at renewing and sustaining the historic vision of American democracy. He is also a board member and chairman of the Finance Committee of the Public Agenda, a non-partisan, non-profit, public opinion research organization founded by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Social Scientist, Daniel Yankelovich, America’s leading expert on public opinion.
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Empowering Half the World
Melanne Verveer shared her considerable experience and insights at The Common Good on the importance of empowering women and girls for improvements in economic growth, foreign policy, healthcare, and poverty alleviation and how educating a girl is the single best development investment possible.
There is no doubt that considerable progress has been made in the last decade to empower women and girls across the globe, but gender inequality is far from solved. Women perform 60% of the world’s work, yet their earnings fall below 5% of global income. The majority of children who do not attend school are girls and 75% of illiterate adults are women. Women in power are still rare; they hold only one-fifth of the positions in national governments.
Melanne Verveer, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, is an inspiring and dedicated advocate for women and girls here and around the world. Verveer shared her considerable experience and insights at The Common Good on the importance of empowering women and girls for improvements in economic growth, foreign policy, healthcare, and poverty alleviation and how educating a girl is the single best investment possible.
Ambassador Verveer is currently the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, which seeks to enhance national and global security by documenting the crucial role women play in peace-building and security through research and scholarship, and by engaging global leaders from government, civil society and the private sector in conversations on the urgent issues of our times.
Ambassador Verveer most recently served as the first U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, a position to which she was nominated by President Obama in 2009. She coordinated foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women, traveling to nearly sixty countries. She worked to ensure that women’s participation and rights are fully integrated into U.S. foreign policy, and she played a leadership role in the Administration’s development of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.
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Meet & Greet: Jason Kander
The Common Good hosted a meet and greet with Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, hosted by Richard Gordon.
The Common Good hosted a meet and greet with Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, hosted by Richard Gordon.
Jason Kander was the Missouri Secretary of State and the youngest statewide elected official in America. Kander is a former Army Captain who served in Afghanistan as a military intelligence officer, a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, and an attorney from Kansas City, Missouri. During his career in the General Assembly, he represented the 44th district (which includes parts of Jackson County) from 2009 to 2013. He ran for the United States Senate against Republican incumbent Roy Blunt in the 2016 election. The Hill has ranked the race #10 of the most vulnerable this year out of two dozen the Republicans are defending.
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The Common Good has been hosting events since 2006 that cover important issues of today, highlighting speakers who have worked to bolster our democracy and can provide great insight on the issues that matter.