Brussels 23.05.2023 This year’s GMF Brussels Forum recognizes the extraordinary historic parallels between today’s world and the world at the threshold of the World War II in August 1941. Two Transatlantic partners came together to discuss the urgent need for supply of munitions, the “right of all peoples … to see sovereign rights and self-government restored to those who have been forcibly deprived of them”, and the necessity of equal access to trade and critical materials to states’ economic prosperity. That 1941 meeting, despite the conditions of great global turmoil, produced a courageous and hopeful vision known as the Atlantic Charter.

Today, a new transatlantic generation must now define THEIR Atlantic Charter—their Atlanticism. This New Atlanticism is forged every day by the Ukrainian people fighting for their sovereignty and the freedom determine their form of government and political system. It is forged by rebuilding Ukraine, addressing dramatic changes to our climate, strengthening democratic principles amid revolutionary technological advancement, increasing transatlantic security and economic competitiveness, and, above all, upholding human dignity. What are your hopes, aspirations, and principles for this new Atlanticism?

GMF’s Brussels Forum is the preeminent platform for global leaders, policymakers, and experts across sectors to shape the transatlantic agenda and debate the most pressing global challenges. Brussels Forum showcases diverse voices across regional and demographic backgrounds and promotes dialogue that is candid and open. Speakers of past Brussels Forum editions include Kamala Harris, Vice President, The United States of America; Samantha Power, Administrator, USAID; Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General, NATO; Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, European Union and Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice President, European Commission, among others.

Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is destabilizing European security and forcing Euro-Atlantic institutions to counter the challenge it poses. At home, President Vladimir Putin is enforcing increasingly autocratic policies that eliminate space for discussion and dissent. Will Russia continue on its current track domestically and internationally? This session will discuss the possible scenarios for Russia’s future under Putin and beyond and assess the implications of each for international security. Additional factors to be considered include the role of civil society, the media, and the growing Russian diaspora, as well as the potential impact of Russia’s cooperation with China. How enduring is Putin’s hold on power, and what checks and balances still exist? To what extent does it matter whether Putin remains in his role? How do economic and foreign policy considerations—namely, the behavior of the United States and its G7 partners and European allies—affect the likelihood of each scenario? Finally, is there a path to peaceful and mutually respectful relations between Russia and the West?