Captive Nations Summit 2026

Since 1959, the United States has observed the third week of July as Captive Nations Week. Whether thinking about those formally communist societies, such as North Korea and Cuba, or the wider situation of illiberal regimes, dictatorships, and rising authoritarianism, what are the prospects for increased freedom? What is being done, and what should be done, to recapture the promise of democracy and fundamental freedoms abroad?

This event will open with keynote remarks from The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. A panel discussion will follow, featuring:

-Jamie Fly, CEO of Freedom House
-Daniel Twining, President of International Republican Institute
-Damon M. Wilson, President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy
-Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Ph.D., VOC Trustee, Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, and Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs (Moderator)