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?

Special Private Screening and Conversation on "The Battle of Mosul"

The Common Good welcomed Bernard-Henri Lévy to discuss his film “The Battle of Mosul” and what is currently occurring in Mosul. This event was hosted by Nazee Moinain.

The film begins in October 17, 2016, in the middle of the Plain of Nineveh during the first day of the battle to liberate Mosul form the Islamic State. The film ends after the eastern half of the city has been liberated. Between these two dates. Bernard-Henri Lévy and his team made multiple excursions into the field. Whether in the company of the Kurds or the specials forces of the Iraqi Gold Division, they were present in the theater of operations at every crucial step in the battle. The film leaves several questions unanswered, such as: Will the liberation of Mosul spell the definitive defeat of ISIL?

“(Lévy is) Accorded the kind of Adulation in France that most countries reserve for their rock starts. ”

— The Guardian

Bernard-Henri Lévy is a philosopher, activist, and filmmaker, and one of the most esteemed and bestselling writers in Europe. He had penned more than 30 books, including works of philosophy, fiction, and biography. Lévy has advised French presidents since François Mitterand and has served on diplomatic missions for the French Government.

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Interested in Attending Future Events?