Global Leaders Forum - Audio

Please join us on Tuesday, July 30 for a Global Leaders Forum conversation with His Excellency Khaltmaa Battulga, President of Mongolia, on "The Future of U.S.-Mongolia Relations." Welcoming remarks will be given by John Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS, and the conversation will be moderated by Michael J. Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair at CSIS and Director of Asian Studies, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.

Please join us on Tuesday, March 13 for a conversation with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the leader of Greece’s center-right opposition New Democracy Party. As Greece emerges from eight years of being under the restrictions of three bailout packages, continues to confront a migration crisis, becomes an important logistics hub for China, addresses growing tensions in Cyprus, and is re-engaging with Skopje to negotiate an agreed name for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Athens is increasingly becoming a critical actor in the Eastern Mediterranean region. As opposition leader, Mr. Mitsotakis will share his insights on the most critical issues facing Greece today, the importance of the U.S.-Greek bilateral partnership and transatlantic relationship to bring greater stability to the region, and the future prospects for Greek parliamentary elections. This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.

Please join us on Thursday, March 8 for a timely conversation with Jüri Luik, Minister of Defense of Estonia. The United States and its allies are approaching an important NATO Summit in Brussels in July 2018, and Estonia is at the forefront of major questions of European security. Estonia is one of the NATO allies dedicating above 2% of its GDP to defense and hosts a UK-led multinational battlegroup as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence, yet there is much work still to be done to create an Enhanced Deterrence in the North [https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/180119_Conley_EnhancedDeterrenceNorth_Web.pdf?uIa_1usRa2.PdrR4pnJvjLKFPN3tFDYQ&utm_source=CSIS+All&utm_campaign=7ab8bc7e4f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f326fc46b6-7ab8bc7e4f-], including improving military mobility and NATO-EU cooperation. Minister Luik has unique experience in these matters, from Estonia’s EU presidency in 2017 when EU leaders agreed to pursue strengthened defense cooperation (PESCO), and having served in cabinet-level positions on multiple occasions. This discussion will shed light on vital transatlantic issues, and we hope you will join us. This event is made possible by generous support from the Stuart Family Foundation.

Please join us on Wednesday, February 7 for a timely conversation with Mr. Timo Soini, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland. As Finland's chairmanship of the Arctic Council approaches the one year mark, Minister Soini will provide an update on Finland's priorities, including environmental protection, strengthening connectivity, meteorological cooperation, and education. A critical partner of the United States in the High North, Finland continues to explore the Arctic's economic potential and advocate for the region's sustainable development, while also assuring the protection of the climate and ecosystems. Minister Soini will also discuss the increasing engagement of non-Arctic states in Arctic cooperation. This conversation is made possible by support from the Stuart Family Foundation.

Please join us on Friday, October 20 for a timely conversation with H.E. Florence Parly, Minister for the Armed Forces of France. Minister Parly will discuss the key findings of France's recently released "Strategic Review of Defense and National Security." As a critical defense partner to the United States and NATO ally, France is addressing an increasingly complex and diverse set of defense and security challenges which include transnational terrorism, cyber and information warfare, and an erosion of the international rules-based system, which are testing transatlantic security. Today, France and the United States have deployed forces to the Baltic Sea region to deter Russian aggression, to the Sahel in order to confront terrorism and instability in the region, and to the Middle East to defeat Daesh. Minister Parly will address France's greatest security challenges and how Paris is working with the Trump administration, NATO, and EU partners to counter these threats.