Conversation with Bill Browder on Putin, Russia, and What the Future Holds

Putin and Russia: What does the Future Hold?

with

Bill Browder

Moderated by

Richard Salomon

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7TH, 5-6pm, ON ZOOM

The Common Good welcomes Bill Browder, who was the largest foreign investor in Russia until he was denied entry into the country in 2005 and declared a threat to national security. His crime? Exposing corruption in Russian state owned companies. He has a lot of experience dealing with Russia and particularly with Vladimir Putin. He will discuss Putin’s place on the world stage, the invasion of Ukraine, and the threat that Putin poses to the Western world order as Ukrainian defenses languish at a stalemate. 

Join us with Putin’s declared #1 enemy, Bill Browder, recipient of the American Spirit Award from The Common Good in 2019 for citizen activism for his incredible advocacy work to create the Magnitsky Act, which punishes corrupt Russian officials, in conversation with Harvard-trained lawyer and CEO Richard Salomon.

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About Our Speakers

William Browder is the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign and author of  Red Notice. 

He was the largest foreign investor in Russia until 2005, when he was denied entry to the country and declared “a threat to national security” for exposing corruption in Russian state-owned companies.

In 2008, Mr. Browder’s lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, uncovered a massive fraud committed by Russian government officials that involved the theft of US $230 million of state taxes. Sergei testified against state officials involved in this fraud and was subsequently arrested, imprisoned without trial and systematically tortured. He spent a year in prison under horrific detention conditions, was repeatedly denied medical treatment, and died in prison on November 16, 2009, leaving behind a wife and two children.

Since then, Mr. Browder has sought justice outside of Russia and started a global campaign for governments around the world to impose targeted visa bans and asset freezes on human rights abusers and highly corrupt officials. The United States was the first to impose these targeted sanctions with the passage of the Sergei Magnitsky Accountability Act in 2012, followed by the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act in 2016.

As a result, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Baltic states, the European Union and most recently Australia have passed their own versions of the Magnitsky Act. Mr. Browder is currently working to have similar legislation passed in other countries worldwide including New Zealand and Japan, to name a few. 

Richard A. Salomon is a graduate of Carleton College and Harvard Law School and the founder and CEO of Vantage Point Consultants. Vantage Point advises corporations on ways to optimize the expenditure of legal dollars and has worked with over 400 of the Fortune 500 throughout the world. Mr. Salomon is a frequent keynote speaker to groups, including the GC100 (the Chief Legal Officers of the FTSE 100 in London) and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as an occasional lecturer at Harvard Law School. Mr. Salomon is a member of the Advisory Board of the Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Law Department Management and Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Litigation Management. Mr. Salomon is also a co-author of Managing the Corporate Legal Function (2nd ed. 1995, Matthew Bender). 

Mr. Salomon is involved in numerous philanthropic and social service-related activities. He is a co-founder, member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center; and a member of the Advisory Board for the Visas for Life Foundation (relating to Consul General Chiune Sugihara, who rescued his father and uncle during the Holocaust).

In addition, Mr. Salomon is on the Board of New York University’s Of Many Institute as well as on the President's Council of the Interfaith Youth Core, and the President’s Global Forum of the Auburn Theological Seminary. Mr. Salomon is a frequent public speaker at the 92nd Street Y, Temple Emanu-El, and other venues.

Conversation with Ambassador Dennis Ross

The Israelis and the Palestinians: Where We Go From Here

In conversation with

Amb. Dennis Ross

Moderated by

Richard Salomon

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3OTH, 4-5PM, On ZOOM

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, there are many looming questions about how this will play out for Israel, for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and for the eradication of Hamas; the humanitarian concerns for civilian lives in Gaza; the release of the hostages still held by Hamas; and Israel's longterm security concerns. What military and diplomatic solutions are still on the table to prevent a multi-front war? 

Join us with Ambassador Dennis Ross in conversation with Richard Salomon as we unpack these vital and urgent questions. The Common Good welcomes Ambassador Dennis Ross, acclaimed diplomat and expert on the Middle East in conversation with Harvard-trained lawyer and CEO Richard Salomon for a discussion on where Palestinians and Israelis can go from here and what the future might hold for the Middle East.

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About Our Speakers

Ambassador Dennis Ross has served several US administrations as a senior diplomat and advisor on the Middle East and broader international security. In Obama's first term, he had the principal responsibility for Iran policy. He is one of America’s foremost foreign policy experts on the region and currently serves as Counselor at The Washington Institute, a think tank dedicated to improving the quality of US Middle East policy, and a Distinguished Professor of Diplomacy at Georgetown University.

In February 2009, Ambassador Dennis Ross was appointed Special Advisor for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Later that year he left the State Department to join the National Security Council staff as a Special Assistant to President Obama and Senior Director for the Central Region (the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia). He stepped down from this role in December 2011. 

Ambassador Dennis Ross served as Middle East Envoy under President Clinton, helping the Israelis and Palestinians reach the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. He also brokered the Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron in 1997 and facilitated the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.

During George H. W. Bush’s administration, Ambassador Dennis Ross was Director of the United States State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, where he worked on US policy toward the former Soviet Union, the reunification of Germany and its integration into NATO, arms control, and forming the coalitions during the 1991 Gulf War. He also collaborated with Secretary of State James Baker on convincing Arab and Israeli leaders to attend the 1991 Middle East peace conference in Madrid, Spain.

Richard A. Salomon is a graduate of Carleton College and Harvard Law School and the founder and CEO of Vantage Point Consultants. Vantage Point advises corporations on ways to optimize the expenditure of legal dollars and has worked with over 400 of the Fortune 500 throughout the world. Mr. Salomon is a frequent keynote speaker to groups, including the GC100 (the Chief Legal Officers of the FTSE 100 in London) and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as an occasional lecturer at Harvard Law School. Mr. Salomon is a member of the Advisory Board of the Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Law Department Management and Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Litigation Management. Mr. Salomon is also a co-author of Managing the Corporate Legal Function (2nd ed. 1995, Matthew Bender). 

Mr. Salomon is involved in numerous philanthropic and social service-related activities. He is a co-founder, member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center; and a member of the Advisory Board for the Visas for Life Foundation (relating to Consul General Chiune Sugihara, who rescued his father and uncle during the Holocaust). In addition, Mr. Salomon is on the Board of New York University’s Of Many Institute as well as on the President's Council of the Interfaith Youth Core, and the President’s Global Forum of the Auburn Theological Seminary. Mr. Salomon is a frequent public speaker at the 92nd Street Y, Temple Emanu-El, and other venues.

"Conflict" with General (Ret.) David Petraeus

“Conflict”

with

General (Ret.) David Petraeus

Former CIA Director

MODERATED BY

John Berman

Emmy-Award Winning CNN Anchor

Tuesday, November 14th, 5:30 -7:00 pm ET

Members Only, In-person, UES 

Dinner to follow (Executive Members & above only)

Space is extremely limited

We are honored to present a timely and urgent briefing with one of the foremost battle-tested and celebrated combat leaders alive today, former U.S. Army General and former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus.  Petraeus will join The Common Good for an extraordinary session and dinner on the evolution of warfare up to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the current conflagration in the Middle East following the Hamas attack on Israel,  and the potential escalations between China and Taiwan.  He will explore the mistakes made over and over, the new weapon systems, theories and strategies, and anticipate in the future in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world.

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PHOTO GALLERY:

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About Our Speakers

Co-author with Andrew Roberts of "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.”

“Most extraordinary book that bristles with lessons drawn skillfully from the past” - General James  Mattis

”'A major book that will enlighten the layman and guide the statesman or geopolitical student” - Dr. Henry Kissinger

“It is a book that will shape the thinking of policy makers and military strategists for generations to come”  -Admiral William McRaven

General (Ret) David Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and NATO/US Forces in Afghanistan. 

Following his military service, and after confirmation by the Senate by a vote of 94-0, Gen. Petraeus served as Director of the CIA during a period of significant achievements in the Global War on Terror. Gen. Petraeus graduated with distinction from the U.S. Military Academy, was the top graduate of his Rangers School and Command and General Staff College classes, earned a Ph.D. from Princeton Univ, and has held academic appointments at six universities. He is currently Co-Chairman of the Global Advisory Council of the Woodrow Wilson Center, Sr. Vice President of RUSI, and a member of the Trilateral Commission, the Aspen Strategy Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Board of the Atlantic Council. He has received numerous U.S. military, State Dept, NATO, and UN medals, including four Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Ranger Tab, and master parachutist wings. He has also been decorated by 14 foreign countries, sanctioned by Russia, and designated a LinkedIn Top Voice.

Petraeus has been a Partner in the global investment firm KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which he established in May 2013. The Global Institute supports the KKR investment process, KKR's portfolio companies, and KKR's investors with analysis of geopolitical risks and trends. He is also a member of the boards of directors of Optiv and OneStream, a Strategic Advisor of Semperis and Advanced Navigation, a personal venture capitalist, a Kissinger Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Yale University, a speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau, and co-author with Andrew Roberts of "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.”

Copies of "Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine" for the event will be ordered from Theodores Books, owned by good TCG friend and former Congressman Steve Israel. 

John Berman is an Emmy-award winning CNN anchor and currently co-anchors CNN News Central weekdays from 9am - 12pm ET. He previously served as co-anchor of New Day and a number of other CNN broadcasts.

Since joining CNN in 2012, Berman has been at the forefront of the most pressing news events, including elections, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (for which CNN’s coverage was acknowledged with a DuPont-Columbia Award).

Before CNN, he worked at ABC News for nearly 17 years, and appeared on television there since 2001. He was a regular contributor to all of ABC’s broadcasts, including World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, Nightline, and 20/20.

In 1999 and 2000, Berman worked as an off-air reporter for ABC News covering George W. Bush’s presidential campaign. He logged more hours with then-candidate Bush than nearly any other reporter, following Bush to 45 states.

In his career, he has interviewed everyone from Barack Obama to Mike Pence to Mitt Romney to MC Hammer. He was embedded with the Marines for the U.S. Invasion of Iraq in 2003, and has covered countless hurricanes and natural disasters.

From 1997 to 1999, Berman was the head writer for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.

He has also been part of teams winning the Edward R. Murrow Award for best broadcast, and was awarded a James Beard Award in 2010.

Berman started at ABC News as a desk assistant working the overnight shift in 1995. A native of Carlisle, Mass., he graduated from Harvard University, where he was president of Hasty Pudding Theatricals. He likes the Red Sox. Have a problem with that?

Israel-Hamas War with Nahum Barnea and Judith Miller

Israel-Hamas War 

with

Nahum Barnea 

Acclaimed Israeli Journalist 

Moderated by

Judith Miller

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Reporter 

Tuesday, November 7th,  4:00-5:00 pm ET On Zoom

Prominent Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea joins Pulitzer-winning journalist Judith Miller at The Common Good for an urgent and critical session on the events in the Middle East prompted by Hamas’ shockingly savage attack on Israeli citizens and followed now by Israel’s unrelenting strikes on Gaza, home to millions of Palestinians, in the effort to eradicate Hamas.

Nahum Barnea is widely regarded as one of Israel’s top columnists and political analysts. As Tom Friedman has put it, "When I need the most accurate analysis about Israel, the first call I always make is to my longtime friend and reporting partner there, To lead the conversation, we are honored to have Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Judith Miller, who has covered the Middle East for decades. 

Join us for important insights into where this incredibly devastating and complex series of events unfolding in the Middle East may lead.

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About Our Speakers

Nahum Barnea is a prominent Israeli journalist and commentator whose columns have much influence in Israel and on key issues in the public policy arena. Since 1989, he has been the chief columnist of Yedioth Ahronoth, the biggest daily newspaper in Israel. 

He has won numerous awards for his journalistic efforts.  In 2007, he won the State of Israel, Israel Prize, an award regarded as the Israel’s highest cultural honor and for excellence in their field. He was awarded the Sokolov Prize for journalism in 1981 and in a survey in 1998, he was voted one of most influential journalists in Israel. He also received an award Tel Aviv University for his unique contribution to journalism in Israel. 

In 2006 he was one of the few reporters who went into Lebanon during the second Lebanon war. His call to the government of Israel to accept the ceasefire, based on what he has seen on the ground had a tremendous influence. 

He has served at The International Crisis Group as a Trustee since July 2010 and is an international honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution published his essay, “Backchannel: Bush, Sharon and The Uses of Unilateralism.” He also served in the IDF in the paratroopers brigade.

Judith Miller is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter who has covered the Middle East for decades. During her 28 years at The New York Times, she was a key member of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, for its 2001 coverage of global terrorism before and after the September 11th attacks. She was also apart of The New York Times team that won the prestigious DuPont award for a series of programs on terrorism for PBS's "Frontline.”  

In 2008, she joined Fox News as a commentator, speaking on terrorism and other national security issues in, the Middle East, American foreign policy, and the need to strike a delicate balance between protecting both national security and civil liberties in a post-9/11 world.  She is currently an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of its magazine, "City Journal."  

Miller is a recipient of many awards, among them the Society of Professional Journalists’ “First Amendment Award” for her protection of sources. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served on a prestigious National Academy of Sciences panel examining how best to expand of the work of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which since 1991 has sought to stop the spread of WMD material and expertise from the former Soviet Union. 

Conversation with Legal Scholar Dr. Laurence Tribe

Solving the Riddle:

Transferring Russia’s Assets to Ukraine

Without Cutting Funds to Defend Israel

with

Acclaimed Legal Scholar Dr. Laurence Tribe

moderated by

Harvard-trained Lawyer and CEO Richard Salomon

Thursday, October 26th,  5:00 pm - 5:45 pm ET On Zoom

As Ukraine and Israel, rare outposts of democracy in difficult regions of the world, simultaneously face existential crises caused by fierce and bloody incursions, the U.S. finds itself paralyzed with a rudderless Congress, some of whose members, instead of seeking ways to fund the defense of both these allies, pit one against the other. 

Our ability to act to help these nations at a time of dire need should not require accepting the false choice of supporting Ukraine over Israel, or Israel over Ukraine. 

Happily, a legal path exists to aid both without burdening American taxpayers any more than meeting our obligations to Israel alone would entail: Seize the frozen $325 billion in Russian bank assets and transfer them to Ukraine.

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About Our Speakers

Dr. Laurence H. Tribe is the Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard University. The title “University Professor” is Harvard’s highest academic honor, awarded to fewer than 75 professors in the University’s history. Tribe taught at Harvard Law School since 1968; received tenure at 30; and was voted the best professor by the graduating class of 2000.

Born in China to Russian Jewish parents, Tribe entered Harvard at 16; graduated magna cum laude with a summa cum laude in Mathematics (1962) and magna cum laude in Law (1966); clerked for the California and U.S. Supreme Courts(1966-68); was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1979 and to the American Philosophical Society in 2010; helped write the constitutions of South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the Marshall Islands; has received eleven honorary degrees, most recently a degree honoris causa from the Government of Mexico in 2011 that was never before awarded to an American and D, Litt. degree from Columbia University in 2013; has prevailed in three-fifths of the many appellate cases he has argued (including 35 in the U.S. Supreme Court); was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama to serve as the first Senior Counselor for Access to Justice and in 2021 by President Joseph R. Biden to serve on the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States; and has written 115 books and articles, including his treatise, American Constitutional Law, cited more than any other legal text since 1950.  

Former Solicitor General Erwin Griswold wrote: “[N]o book, and no lawyer not on the [Supreme] Court, has ever had a greater influence on the development of American constitutional law,” and former U.S. Court of Appeals Judge J. Michael Luttig tweeted in January 2023, “Laurence H. Tribe has been the Nation’s preeminent constitutional scholar for the past half-century.”

Richard A. Salomon is a graduate of Carleton College and Harvard Law School and the founder and CEO of Vantage Point Consultants. Vantage Point advises corporations on ways to optimize the expenditure of legal dollars and has worked with over 400 of the Fortune 500 throughout the world. Mr. Salomon is a frequent keynote speaker to groups, including the GC100 (the Chief Legal Officers of the FTSE 100 in London) and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, as well as an occasional lecturer at Harvard Law School. Mr. Salomon is a member of the Advisory Board of the Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Law Department Management and Corporate Counsel’s Guide to Litigation Management. Mr. Salomon is also a co-author of Managing the Corporate Legal Function (2nd ed. 1995, Matthew Bender). 

Mr. Salomon is involved in numerous philanthropic and social service-related activities. He is a co-founder, member of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center; and a member of the Advisory Board for the Visas for Life Foundation (relating to Consul General Chiune Sugihara, who rescued his father and uncle during the Holocaust). In addition, Mr. Salomon is on the Board of New York University’s Of Many Institute as well as on the President's Council of the Interfaith Youth Core, and the President’s Global Forum of the Auburn Theological Seminary. Mr. Salomon is a frequent public speaker at the 92nd Street Y, Temple Emanu-El, and other venues.

suggested Reading

Letter From 11 Members of Congress to President Joe Biden-

Oct 23rd, 2023

Conversation with Climate Scientist Dr. Mann and MSNBC's Ana Cabrera

The Existential Crisis: Climate Change is Here

with

Dr. Michael E. Mann

Renowned Climate Scientist

moderated by

Ana Cabrera

Emmy-Award Winning MSNBC Anchor

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12TH 5:30 - 7:00 PM ET

IN-PERSON, LIGHT REFRESHMENTS, NYC TBD

DINNER TO FOLLOW (ONLY EXECUTIVE MEMBERS AND ABOVE)

Amidst record-breaking temperatures, powerful storms, widespread flooding, raging wildfire, and July 2023 being recorded as the hottest month ever recorded globally has painted a stark reality of the existential crisis gripping our world: climate change.

 The Common Good is honored to welcome Dr. Michael E. Mann, eminent climate scientist, acclaimed author, and visionary behind the iconic "hockey-stick” graph. Dr. Mann will share his profound insights and expertise into the latest science on climate change and its pivotal role in shaping our collective future. This important discussion will be expertly moderated by Ana Cabrera, an exceptional figure in the world of journalism, an MSNBC anchor, and a distinguished broadcast journalist. Join us for this important conversation that will explore the existential crisis of climate change and what lies ahead.

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About Our Speaker

Dr. Michael E. Mann is distinguished climate scientist, author, and prominent expert in climate research. He is Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. He is director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM).

Dr. Mann was a Lead Author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001 and was organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Science in 2003. He has received a number of honors and awards including NOAA's outstanding publication award in 2002 and selection by Scientific American as one of the fifty leading visionaries in science and technology in 2002. He contributed, with other IPCC authors, to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He was awarded the Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union in 2012 and was awarded the National Conservation Achievement Award for science by the National Wildlife Federation in 2013.

He made Bloomberg News' list of fifty most influential people in 2013. In 2014, he was named Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and received the Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education. He received the Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication from Climate One in 2017, the Award for Public Engagement with Science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2018 and the Climate Communication Prize from the American Geophysical Union in 2018. In 2019 he received the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement and in 2020 he received the World Sustainability Award of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation. He was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2020. He received the Leo Szilard Award of the American Physical Society in 2021 and was named Humanist of the Year by the American Humanist Association in 2023. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Meteorological Society, the Geological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He is also a co-founder of the award-winning science website RealClimate.org.

Dr. Mann is author of more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications, numerous op-eds and commentaries, and six books including Dire Predictions: Understanding Climate Change, The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines, The Madhouse Effect: How Climate Change Denial is Threatening our Planet, Destroying Our Politics, and Driving Us Crazy, The Tantrum that Saved the World, The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet and Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Pasta Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis.

Conversation with Economist Stephen Roach and Ambassador Roberts Hormats

Clash of Titans: US-China Relations 

A Conversation with

Stephen Roach

MODERATED BY

Ambassador Robert Hormats

Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 27th,  5:30 - 7:00 pm ET

IN-PERSON, UPPER EAST SIDE, LIMITED CAPACITY!

Dinner to follow (Executive members and above)

The ever-evolving dynamics between the United States and China hold a global spotlight, with implications that reverberate well beyond their respective borders. Navigating the complexities of this critical bilateral relationship, characterized by both cooperation and contention, bears profound significance for the state of global affairs.

How does the United States and China, two of the world's most influential and powerful nations, navigate their complex relationship across economic ties, security dynamics and geopolitical competition? Join The Common Good and Stephen Roach, one of the nation’s esteemed economists, moderated by Amb. Robert Hormats as they unravel the complexities that define the interactions between these influential nations.

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About Our Speakers

Stephen Roach has been a member of the Yale faculty since 2010.  He was the first senior fellow to join the faculty of Yale University’s Jackson Institute of Global Affairs at its inception in 2010 and remained in that capacity until 2022; over that period, he was also a Senior Lecturer at Yale’s School of Management.  He joined Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center in 2022. He was formerly Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia and the firm’s Chief Economist for the bulk of his 30-year career at Morgan Stanley.

A rare combination of thought leadership on Wall Street and academia places Stephen Roach in the unique position as a leading practitioner of analytical macroeconomics.  At Yale, he introduced new courses for undergraduates and graduate students on the “The Next China” and “The Lessons of Japan.” Dr. Roach’s current research program focuses on the impacts of the conflict-prone US-China relationship on the broader global economy. His latest book, Accidental Conflict: America, China, and the Clash of False Narratives (Yale University Press, 2022) examines the ominous trajectory of conflict escalation between the United States and China and a provides a unique roadmap for conflict resolution.  His 2014 book, Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China explored the risks and opportunities of the world’s most important economic relationship of the 21st century.

Robert Hormats has been a senior official in the administrations of five different American presidents, a top executive on Wall Street and major business leader working with companies in the United States and throughout the world. His most recent government job was Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment. He is currently Vice Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc.

Mr. Hormats began his career as Senior Staff Member on the National Security Council Staff in 1969. During his tenure, he served as senior advisor to Dr. Henry Kissinger, General Brent Scowcroft, and Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski. In this capacity, he was responsible for international economic policy, global energy issues, foreign trade and investment matters and monetary/financial issues. He played a major role in the opening up of U.S. relations with China as Senior White House Economic Advisor to Dr. Kissinger during the early 1970s, the American response to the global energy crisis of the 1970s, international trade negotiations and resolving a number of financial crises involving Asia, Russia, Latin America and the U.S.

Related Readings:

• “How Scary is China’s Crisis?” (Paul Krugman, The New York Times)

• “Whither China? Part III: Policy hubris and the end of infallibility”  (Adam Tooze, Chartbook)

• “A deep crisis in China would pose a choice for two leading powers” (Henry M. Paulson Jr., The Washington Post)

Pulse of the Nation

Join the Conversation In the Hamptons!

with

Frank Luntz 

Pollster, Political Communications Strategist, & Focus Group Expert

MODERATED BY

MARGARET HOOVER

HOSTED BY BONNIE LAUTENBERG

Monday, August 28th,  5:30 - 7:00 pm ET

In-person, Water Mill, NY

How has public opinion shifted? The events within the recent election cycles have struck at the core of our nation and the heart of our democracy. As we look ahead, curiosity abounds: What lies on the horizon? How do voters currently position themselves, and what insights can we draw from diverse demographic perspectives on pivotal matters?

Join The Common Good for light refreshments and thought-provoking conversation with expert Frank Luntz, esteemed polling expert, prominent political consultant, and communications strategist, moderated by Margaret Hoover, host of PBS’ Firing Line, at the Water Mill home of artist/activist Bonnie Lautenberg. We’ll explore the anticipated dynamics of public opinion and shed light on the potential trajectories that lie ahead on some of the most critical issues facing our nation. 

About Our Speakers

Dr. Frank Luntz is one of the most honored communication professionals in America today. Throughout his career, Dr. Luntz has worked for more than fifty Fortune 500 companies and CEOs. However, he is best known for political commentary – more media outlets have turned to him to understand the hopes and fears of Americans than to any other political pollster. He appears regularly on HBO and Fox News, having co-hosted many live primetime specials and dial sessions during the presidential debates. In both 2012 and 2016 elections, Frank was the only non-journalist invited to host a debate of the GOP presidential contenders. He also served as a consultant to the NBC hit show The West Wing.

Dr. Luntz has written, supervised, and conducted more than 2,500 surveys, focus groups, ad tests, and dial sessions in more than two dozen countries on six continents over the past 20 years. His political knowledge and skills are recognized globally, and he has served as an election consultant and commentator in Canada, Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Australia, Venezuela, and Ukraine.

Margaret Hoover is the host of PBS’ “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover,” a public affairs, multi-platform program that engages in long-form interviews and a rigorous exchange of ideas with the guiding principle that civil discourse is a civic responsibility.

A CNN contributor, Ms. Hoover has served in The White House under President George W. Bush, in the Department of Homeland Security, on Capitol Hill and on two presidential campaigns. She is the President of American Unity Fund, a political organization focused on achieving full freedom and equality for LGBT Americans. A bestselling author, her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The Daily Beast, CNN.com and FoxNews.com.

Ms. Hoover serves on the boards of Stanford University Hoover Institution, the Hoover Presidential Foundation, the Belgian American Educational Foundation, The Markle Foundation, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Raised in Colorado, Hoover has lived in China, Mexico, Bolivia, and Taiwan, speaks fluent Spanish, and studied Mandarin Chinese. Ms. Hoover lives in New York City with her husband John Avlon and their two children.

Bonnie E. Lautenberg is an esteemed photographer, writer, philanthropist, and businesswoman. Mrs. Lautenberg has successfully sold and exhibited her photography for a number of years and has received critical praise throughout her photographic career.

Mrs. Lautenberg's photographs are included in both private and museum collections, proving that they are not only unforgettable, but are highly regarded visual records.  Her work, How They Changed Our Lives: Senators As Working People which was exhibited at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey and is now in the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C. where it can be viewed on-line.

From political stars to pop rock, Mrs. Lautenberg has run the gamut of her latest bodies of work which were shown recently at Art Hamptons in Bridgehampton, New York, where she exhibited photos of  Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus and photographs from a series called Is She Or Isn't She which is about light and shadow related to the movement of a dancer. Mrs. Lautenberg is currently working on a book of her 25 years of political photography.

Impact of the New Supreme Court

Impact of the New Supreme Court

A Conversation with Laurence H. Tribe and J. Michael Luttig moderated by Kimberly Atkins Stohr

THURSDAY, JULY 6TH  6:00 - 7:00 PM EDT

VIA ZOOM

The new conservative Supreme Court concludes its term with a bang -- having delivered some of the most significant rulings in modern times.  Consequential decisions on issues have ranged from rulings on voting rights, affirmative action, student loans, election law, free speech and LGBTQ civil rights, to its landmark overturning of Roe v. Wade on reproductive rights.

What is the impact on our nation and society? Join The Common Good and legal experts Laurence H. Tribe one of the nation’s most distinguished constitutional experts of our time, and Judge J Michael Luttig, one of the most respected conservative voices in the justice system, to discuss the profound implications of the Court’s rulings in a conversation moderated by political and legal commentator for the Boston Globe and MSNBC Kimberly Atkins Stohr.

Watch now:

Laurence H. Tribe, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard, has taught at its Law School since 1968 and was voted the best professor by the graduating class of 2000. The title “University Professor” is Harvard’s highest academic honor, awarded to just a handful of professors at any given time and to just 68 professors in all of Harvard University’s history.

He has helped write the constitutions of South Africa, the Czech Republic, and the Marshall Islands; has received eleven honorary degrees, most recently a degree honoris causa from the Government of Mexico in March 2011 that was never before awarded to an American; has prevailed in three-fifths of the many appellate cases he has argued (including 35 in the U.S. Supreme Court); was appointed in 2010 by President Obama and Attorney General Holder to serve as the first Senior Counselor for Access to Justice; and has written 115 books and articles, including his treatise, American Constitutional Law, cited more than any other legal text since 1950. In 2021 President Joe Biden appointed Larry to serve on the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Kimberly Atkins Stohr is a senior opinion writer at The Boston Globe. She is also an MSNBC contributor. Before launching her journalism career, she was a trial and appellate litigation attorney in Boston. Previously, Kimberly was the first Washington, DC-based news correspondent for WBUR. She has also served as the Boston Herald’s Washington bureau chief, guest host of C-SPAN’s morning call-in show “Washington Journal,” and a Supreme Court reporter for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and its sister publications. She has appeared as a political commentator on a host of national and international television and radio networks.

J. Michael Luttig was appointed by president George H. W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for 15 years, from 1991 to 2006 and has become one of the most knowledgeable and respective conservative voices in the justice system. In January 2021, Judge Luttig was sought out by Vice President Mike Pence for counsel. He convinced Pence that no Vice President nor any other single individual, elected or otherwise, had any legitimate power to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election.

Conversation with Angelo Carusone

Can the News Media be Trusted?

A Conversation with Media Matters President Angelo Carusone

at  the residence of Patricia Duff and Richard Cohen, UES

Wednesday, May 31st  6:00 - 7:30 pm EST

Tucker Carlson suddenly ousted from his pinacle show at Fox. Fox News corporation fined nearly $800 million dollars for spreading falsehoods on the 2020 election. Artificial intelligence undermining trust and spreading misinformation. The public’s faith in media is at record lows. Can the news media still be trusted? Is there a remedy?

We’re bringing in Angelo Carusone, president of the premiere media watchdog organization Media Matters, to tell us what we need to know in an exclusive, in-person discussion. As one of the top experts monitoring the increase in fake news and misinformation, he’ll be sharing his expertise and analysis of the impact this has on our politics and our social fabric.

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Meet our speaker

Angelo Carusone is an expert in not only the media and newspace but in the political realm.He has been president of Media Matters since 2016 after taking over from its founder David Brock. He has pushed the nonprofit media watchdog organization to bring attention to the disturbing  rise of misinformation in the news media and alt-right news sources. He has led several campaigns for “brand safety” criticizing media figures like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly, and is former Deputy CEO of the Finance and Administration of the Democratic National Convention.

Lay of the Land

Lay of the Land

with the ultimate political insiders

Susan Glasser, Peter Baker, and David Frum

and Norm Ornstein, Moderator

Wednesday March 15th, 5:00 -6:00 via Zoom

How has our democracy and the two parties changed – given the turn to the radical right in the Republican Party even after Trump’s 2020 defeat and Biden’s sometimes rocky two years in office? The Common Good has brought together renowned journalists Susan Glasser, Peter Baker, and David Frum lead in discussion by Norm Ornstein.. 

Join us on Zoom to discuss the changes of our democracy during the upheaval of the last few years, the shifting balance of power in the GOP today, and the near future of 2024’s election season. Be sure to check out Susan Glasser and Peter Baker’s latest book The Divider: Trump in the Whitehouse, 2017-2021 also available for purchase.

Susan Glasser, renowned staff writer and star political journalist at the New Yorker. She was previously at the Washington Post starting in 1998 where she edited the Post's Sunday Outlook and national news sections, helped oversee coverage of Bill Clinton's impeachment, covered the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and served as Moscow bureau co-chief with her husband, Peter Baker. She was editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy until 2013. Glasser then joined Politico, and served as editor during the 2016 election cycle. She also was the founding editor of Politico Magazine. Now, she writes the online column "Letter from Biden’s Washington" in The New Yorker, where she is a staff writer. Glasser has also written three important books with her husband Peter Baker. 

Peter Baker is an award-winning author, journalist at the New York Times, and political analyst for MSNBC. He has also written for the Washington Times and the Washington Post. He won the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency in 2007. Baker also served as Moscow Bureau co-chief with his wife Susan Glasser, and has published numerous books with her as well as other political books including Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, a detailed narrative account of the two-term presidency of George W. Bush, Obama: The Call of History,  and Impeachment: An American History. He has also served as the Jerusalem bureau chief for the Times until 2016 where he returned to cover the Trump presidency.

David Frum is a writer for The Atlantic, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, and the author or co-author of now ten books. Frum has been active in Republican politics since the first Reagan campaign of 1980. From 2001-2002, he served as a speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush. He is credited with helping to create the phrase "axis of evil” in Bush's 2002 State of the Union address. In recent years, Frum has been one of many prominent Republicans to openly criticize Donald Trump as not representing Republican or foundational democracy values. He is a frequent commentator on MSNBC, CNN, and BBC.  From 2014 through 2017, Frum served as chairman of the board of trustees of the leading UK center-right think tank, Policy Exchange. The Common Good was proud to host Frum as a member in January of 2018 as a participant in our Town Hall at Hunter College,  “Trump – Year One” Panel, alongside historian Douglas Brinkley, New York Times columnist Roger Cohen, former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, and political strategist Edward Rollins. Frum currently serves as a member of The Common Good Honorary Advisory Board,

Norman Ornstein (Moderator) is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies politics, elections, and the US Congress. He is a co-host of AEI’s Election Watch series, a contributing editor and columnist for the National Journal and The Atlantic, a BBC News election analyst, and the chairman of the Campaign Legal Center. Dr. Ornstein previously served as co-director of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project and senior counselor to the Continuity of Government Commission. A longtime observer and analyst of American politics and the US Congress, he has been involved in political reform for decades, particularly campaign finance reform and the reform of Senate committees. He has also played a part in creating the Congressional Office of Compliance and the House Office of Congressional Ethics. Ornstein also serves as a member of The Common Good Honorary Advisory Board,

Virtual Conversation with CFR President Richard Haass

Conversation with CFR President Richard Haass

Thursday, Feb 23rd, 6:00-7:30 pm

Host: Patricia Duff & Richard Cohen

UES - Address available upon RSVP

Members-only Dinner to follow

One of the nation’s most distinguished foreign affairs experts joins us to discuss the global outlook for 2023 and his important new book, Bill of Obligations, on the critical role of citizens in reclaiming our democracy.

We are honored to welcome back veteran diplomat and Council on Foreign Relations president, Richard Haass. He will address where tensions in the world are highest - such as with Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, the possibility of Chinese aggression toward Taiwan, unrest in Iran, autocracy and populism on the rise, or the need for global climate action.

But, Haass brings his concerns home.  He will also raise issues so important for us now - what lessons we must heed to remedy our very divided nation and what each citizen must do to help. Please Join us over Zoom or consider becoming a member of The Common Good today to join this event

Meet our Speaker

Richard Haass: A leading figure in the field of foreign affairs, Haass has served as President of the Council on Foreign Relations for 20 years. Prior to joining CFR, among his many achievements Haass served as an important advisor in foreign affairs and national security areas, as Special Assistant to President George H. W. Bush, as National Security Council Senior Director, as well as the Director of Policy Planning for the Department of State, and principal advisor to Secretary of State Colin Powell in the George W. Bush administration. He was U.S. Coordinator for the Future of Afghanistan, and the US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland to help the peace process in there, for which he received the State Department's Distinguished Service Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal for his contributions to the development and articulation of U.S. policy during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He is a best-selling author and author or editor of 14 books.

2023 Economic Forecast

2023 Economic Forecast

with Byron Wien and Joe Zidle 

at the townhome of  Sally Minard

Thursday, February 16th 6:00 -7:30

Dinner to follow on UES - Address provided upon RSVP

Byron Wien, Vice Chairman of Blackstone, and Joe Zidle, Managing Director and the Chief Investment Strategist at Blackstone, return together for an important and timely conversation on the economy, the markets, and political and international events that may affect your portfolio, your business, or simply your peace of mind. 

Reception at 6:00 pm with the presentation from 6:30 until 7:30. Followed by a dinner nearby for Executive Members and higher.

RSVP NOW:

MEET OUR SPEAKERS:

Joe Zidle is a Managing Director and the Chief Investment Strategist in the Private Wealth Solutions group of Blackstone. He is known for his ability to spot trends in reams of data.  He previously spent nearly a decade at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, most recently serving as Head of Investment Strategy for Global Wealth Management and Deputy Director of the Research Investment Committee. He was also  previously with  Richard Bernstein Advisors, as an independent investment advisor, where he was responsible for portfolio strategy, asset allocation, investment management and marketing to major wealth management firms and independent RIAs.

Byron Wien: Known as "the most widely read analyst on Wall Street," "the No. 1 strategist by SmartMoney.com based on his market calls." and was named to the Smart Money Power 30 list of Wall Street’s most influential investors, thinkers, enforcers, policymakers, players and market movers. Byron Wien is Vice Chairman of Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions group where he acts as a senior adviser to both the Firm and its clients in analyzing economic, social, and political trends to assess the direction of financial markets and thus help guide investment and strategic decisions. He has been e was also named by New York Magazine as one of the sixteen most influential people on Wall Street. Wien is also a member of the Honorary Advisory BoardByron Wien: Known as "the most widely read analyst on Wall Street," "the No. 1 strategist by SmartMoney.com based on his market calls." and was named to the Smart Money Power 30 list of Wall Street’s most influential investors, thinkers, enforcers, policymakers, players and market movers. Byron Wien is Vice Chairman of Blackstone’s Private Wealth Solutions group where he acts as a senior adviser to both the Firm and its clients in analyzing economic, social, and political trends to assess the direction of financial markets and thus help guide investment and strategic decisions. He has been e was also named by New York Magazine as one of the sixteen most influential people on Wall Street. Wien is also a member of the Honorary Advisory Board.

Sally Minard is President/CEO of the Four Freedoms Park Conservancy, Inc. The Conservancy operates and maintains the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, a new presidential memorial on Roosevelt Island, N.Y. designed by Louis Kahn. She serves on the board of the Roosevelt Institute. She is Chair Emeritus of the DNC Women’s Leadership Forum in N.Y. State, she was Co-Chair of Nat’l Volunteer Coordination for Hillary Clinton for President and Director of New York State Ambassadors for Hillary. She was previously president of the New York Women’s Agenda and Advertising Women of New York.

Sally founded Lotas Minard Patton McIver, an advertising firm, which worked with New York Hospital, Procter & Gamble, NYU Stern Business School, and Hearst Corporation. She was also a Director of Loral Space and Communications, Inc.

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Insurrection: The January 6th Final Report with Ari Melber

Insurrection: The January 6th Final Report

Featuring Ari Melber with Andrew Weissmann

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12TH, 2023 AT 7:00 PM

NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 170 CENTRAL PARK WEST NEW YORK

You’ve been watching history in the making. Now join us for a very special evening at the iconic New York Historical Society to discuss the first draft of that history, from the violent and deadly January 6th Capitol insurrection to the wider efforts to overthrow the 2020 election. We welcome Emmy Award-winning MSNBC anchor Ari Melber and former prosecutor and General Counsel to then FBI-Director Mueller Andrew Weissmann.

Ari Melber expounds on the foreword he wrote for the Harper Collins edition of the January 6 Report, now a #1 New York Times bestseller, and spoke with former prosecutor and Mueller General Counsel Andrew Weissmann about the findings, the case for future indictments, and the pending special counsel probe into Donald Trump. Both speakers will also took audience questions during the evening.

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ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS:

Andrew Weissmann served as a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office and as Chief of the Fraud Section in the Department of Justice. He was appointed by the Bush administration as Deputy and later as Director of the task force investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for the Enron Scandal from 2002-2005. Weissmann served as a federal prosecutor in New York’s Eastern District for 15 years as the chief of the criminal division and has extensive experience in private practice.

He has taught at Fordham Law School and Brooklyn Law School and is currently a Professor of Practice with the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law at New York University School of Law. Weissmann is the author of Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation, a frequent commentator on MSNBC, and a contributing author for The Atlantic and other publications.

Ari Melber, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, writer and attorney, is the host of “The Beat with Ari Melber” airing nightly at 6pm ET on MSNBC and founder of “Mavericks” on NBC. Melber also serves as MSNBC’s Chief Legal Correspondent and an NBC News Legal Analyst, reporting on law and justice stories across all NBC platforms. Melber received a 2016 Emmy Award for his reporting on the Supreme Court.

Before joining MSNBC, Melber practiced First Amendment law and served as a legislative aide in the U.S. Senate. He received a J.D. from Cornell Law School and is a member of the New York Bar. His writing has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic, and he is a former regular contributor to Politico, Reuters and The Nation. He has participated in a number of events for The Common Good.