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.

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.

Identity Politics: The Great Divider?

with

Dr. Yascha Mounk

Political Scientist and Author

Coming in the New Year (Date TBD),  5:30 - 7:00 pm ET

In-person, UES 

Dinner to follow (Executive Members & above only)

Dr. Yascha Mounk will join The Common Good for a thought-provoking and important session on identity and how it has been used and misused in political culture, resulting in greater division rather than solving entrenched problems such as racism or sexual identity. He will discuss why and how the application of these ideas to areas from education to public policy is proving to be so deeply counterproductive—and why universal, humanist values can best serve the vital goal of true equality.

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About our Speaker  

Dr. Yascha Mounk is an acclaimed writer and influential academic known for his work on the crisis of democracy and the defense of philosophically liberal values.

Born in Germany to Polish parents, Yascha received his BA in History from Trinity College Cambridge and his PhD in Government from Harvard University. He is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, where he holds appointments in both the School of Advanced International Studies and the SNF Agora Institute. Yascha is also a Contributing Editor at The Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Moynihan Public Fellow at City College. He is the Founder of Persuasion, the host of The Good Fight podcast, and serves as a publisher (Herausgeber) at Die Zeit. 

Dr. Mounk has written five widely accredited books with his most recent being, “The Identity Trap - A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time” which tells the story of how a new set of ideas about race, gender and sexual orientation came to be extremely influential in mainstream institutions, and why it would be a mistake to give up on a more universalist humanism. Dr. Mounk will be joining us to delve deeper into this assessment of identity and the role and impact it has on our nation today

Next to his work for The Atlantic, Dr. Mounk also occasionally writes for newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Affairs. He is also a regular contributor to major international publications including Die Zeit, La Repubblica, El País, l'Express and Folha de São Paolo, among others.

“The most comprehensive and reasonable story of this shift that has yet been attempted” -  The Washington Post

“Among the most insightful and important books of written in the last decade on democracy and its torments” - Jonathan Haidt

“This book is brave, bold, erudite, and rich in detail.” —Fiona Hill, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

“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.

Register Now

About Our Speaker

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 

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. 

A Message from the common good: 

We are in a moment where we will tread carefully. As an organization dedicated to informing our audience and understanding and mitigating hatred, political violence, and division, we have presented a number of guests warning about the rise in hate and attacks by race, sexual orientation, and religion, including anti-semitism. We will attempt to bring briefings that go beyond headline news to help illuminate the complexity of the issues before us.  We hope this will be one of many such programs.