Russia / Eastern Europe Speakers

Mikhail Gorbachev

One of the 20th century's most pivotal leaders, Pres. Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his extraordinary leadership and the democratic reforms that ended the Cold War. As a keynote speaker he continues to inspire the rest of us to lead the way towards peace, a better environment, and global democracy.

Lech Walesa

Using his power of persuasion to promote his vision of peace and equality, Walesa led the Solidarity Labor Movement that brought about the downfall of Poland's Communist leadership. For his heroic efforts, Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and went on to become the first democratically elected President of Poland. ...

Anne-Marie Slaughter

As Director of Policy Planning for the US State Department, Anne-Marie Slaughter touched on nearly every foreign policy issue. She was named a Top 100 Global Thinker by Foreign Policy.

Helmut Kohl

Rising through the ranks of the West German government as a proponent of European unity, Kohl was the longest serving German Chancellor of the 20th century. As an epic statesman, the architect of German unity, and a visionary behind European integration, Kohl's accomplishments can be matched by few.

Alexander A. Likhotal

Having served as adviser to President Mikhail Gorbachev for many years, Likhotal now is President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Cross International. Presenting a strategic approach to managing the environmental crisis, he also works with corporations on how they can successfully combine sustainability and corporate ...

Zbigniew Brzezinski

A counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Dr. Brzezinski is not only one of the most respected international affairs experts in America, but is also the former national security advisor to President Carter.

Strobe Talbott

An award-winning journalist for Time magazine for twenty-one years and President of the Brookings Institution, Talbott became Deputy Secretary of State in 1994. The author of a series of books on the U.S./Soviet arms race and the Cold War, he was also the founding director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

Mikhail Shvydkoy

A distinguished professor of foreign theater history and a member of the Academy of Humanities, Shvydkoy speaks with authority on a variety of topics ranging from the theater history of the Soviet Union, to politics, art, culture, and the media.

Victor Kaluzhny

Kaluzhny is the Chairman of the Board of Transneft JSC, the 100% state-owned, monopolistic oil transportation company, which controls all of the pipelines in Russia. He also serves as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Robert D. Kaplan

Robert D. Kaplan is the author of Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power, to be published by Random House in October 2010, a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security in Washington, DC, and a national correspondent for The Atlantic. From 2006 to 2008, he was the Class of 1960 ...

Vaclav Klaus

As President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus serves as a free-market economist and co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party. Considered one of Eastern Europe’s most influential post-Communist leaders, he was previously Finance Minister in the former Czechoslovakia, presiding over revolutionary economic reforms.

Xavier Sala-i-Martin

Xavier Sala-i-Martin is Professor of Economics at Columbia University in New York and the Chief Economic Advisor to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. A respected economist, Sala-i-Martin is also a consultant to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, a member of the Counseling Board of Telefonica ...

Alan Keyes

Recognized as a leader in the conservative movement and one of today's most gifted orators, Keyes emphasizes the revitalization of morality in our national policies. A two-time Republican Presidential candidate, audiences also recognize him from his MSNBC talk show.

Gail Harris

Retiring as the highest-ranking African American female in the US Navy, Captain Harris' success tools are in demand everywhere. Having earned her stripes in the pressure-cooker of the intelligence community, her pursuit of excellence in performance, through hard work fired by courage and persistence, sets the stage for a ...