The Camden Conference
Bringing Global Conversations to Midcoast Maine.
Next Conference
39TH ANNUAL CAMDEN CONFERENCEToday’s Middle East:
Power, Politics, & Players
February 20-22, 2026
Our signature February event is an annual three-day program of world-class speakers and panel discussions focusing on a selected foreign affairs topic.
The Camden Conference is a participatory experience. We structure our events to encourage convivial debate and passionate exchange among our renowned speakers, between the speakers and the audience, and among audience members themselves.
Our Student Programs
In collaboration with area high schools, colleges, and universities, we offer programs designed to spark curiosity about international relations among the next generation. We welcome interest from students, educators, and donors.
Year-Round Events
Craving civil discourse? The Camden Conference hosts events throughout Maine featuring diverse experts on pressing global issues—from internationally renowned journalists and scholars to locally-based explorers and professionals. Through talks, panels, and film and book discussions at libraries and partner venues statewide, our community explores themes from our annual February Conference.
Last year, Camden Conference:
Hosted
people for our signature 3-day Conference
Offered
free Community Events throughout Maine, including at 17 libraries
Welcomed
high school and college students
from participating Maine schools
Involved
volunteers—plus teachers and librarians—all of whom help support our programs
Upcoming Events
View all upcoming events
2001-2011: A Pivotal Decade of U.S. Diplomacy in the Middle East
Date: Dec 16, 2025
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Recent News
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November Community Events explore Middle East through politics, culture, and cuisine
Five November Community Events will examine the Middle East through multiple lenses—from Turkey’s political transformation and regional diplomacy to the hidden history of Iran’s women rug weavers, the region’s culinary […]
November 3, 2025
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Camden Conference in the World ~ November
Iran has been a focus of several past and upcoming Camden Conference speakers over the last month. Vali Nasr, the famed Johns Hopkins SAIS professor who will be our keynoter […]
November 3, 2025
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Poetry of the Middle East, Perspectives on the Gulf States, and a Portrait of Pre-Revolutionary Iran Coming Up in October Library Talks
The first full month of this season’s Camden Conference Community Events Series gets rolling in October with poetry, an expatriate’s perspectives on the Arab Gulf States and beyond, and a […]
September 30, 2025
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