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Reclaiming America First

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Date and Time
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Location
Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
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Featuring
Sumantra Maitra headshot
Sumantra Maitra

Washington Fellow, Institute for Peace and Diplomacy

Reid Smith
Reid Smith

Vice President, Foreign Policy, Stand Together

Stephen Wertheim
Stephen Wertheim

Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Ian Ward Photo
Ian Ward

Reporter, Washington Post

Mark Episkopos
Mark Episkopos

Research Fellow, Eurasia Program, Quincy Institute

Arta Moeini
Arta Moeini

Managing Director, US Operations, and Research Director, Institute for Peace and Diplomacy

Emily Jashinsky
Emily Jashinsky

UnHerd, Breaking Points

“America First” has become a hollow political slogan redefined by the day to suit individual personalities. The Trump administration has abandoned the “predisposition to non-interventionism” promised in its National Security Strategy and its commitment to ending America’s forever wars. The Iran war has deepened divisions in Washington over US grand strategy, the US-Israel relationship, and America’s broader posture in the Middle East. This event launches a volume from the Institute for Peace and Diplomacy that assesses America First in light of the first two years of this Trump administration. On the first panel, leading scholars will examine whether and how foreign policy shaped voter priorities in the midterms and the implications for the future of US foreign policy. The second panel will assess what the Iran war means for the future of America First foreign policy. A reception will follow.


Schedule

2:00 - 2:15 PM

Opening Remarks

2:15 - 3:30 PM

Panel I: The US Midterms, Foreign Policy, and America First

Justin Logan, Cato Institute
Sumantra Maitra, Institute for Peace and Diplomacy
Reid Smith, Stand Together
Stephen Wertheim, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Moderated by Ian Ward, Washington Post

3:30 - 3:45 PM

Break

3:45 - 5:00 PM

Panel II: The Iran War and Its Implications

Mark Episkopos, Quincy Institute
Arta Moeini, Institute for Peace and Diplomacy
TBD
Moderated by Emily Jashinsky, UnHerd, Breaking Points

5:00

Reception