A brief history of how the Camden Conference came to be. You may download a Camden Conference Fact Sheet here.

History of the Camden Conference

The Camden Conference was founded in 1987 as a nonprofit, non-partisan educational organization whose mission is to foster informed discourse on world issues. In the years since, it has convened its annual Conference on the third weekend of February in the historic Camden Opera House, drawing some of the best minds on foreign policy to share their insights and expertise on a range of global issues with the community. Conference topics have included The Making of American Foreign Policy, The Influence of the News Media on Foreign Policy, US-Japan Relations, Globalization, The Politics of Energy and Water, Religion, Global Leadership and a number of conferences focusing on regions of the world. (The full list of previous Conferences is below.)

A Year-round Community Forum for Exchange of Ideas on Key Global Issues

In addition to the annual Conference, 50-60 theme-related outreach events are organized throughout the year. They usually consist of lectures, study groups and film series related to the conference theme. They are offered free of charge or for a minimal price in order to encourage attendance by a socioeconomically diverse audience. Three area libraries are the Conference’s chief partners in offering community outreach programs. Other events have been convened in collaboration with other public educational organizations such as the University of Maine and area Senior Colleges. The Camden Conference also collaborates with local museums and other nonprofit organizations to offer art exhibits, films, concerts and other events designed to appeal to a wide audience. Our community events draw 2500-3000 each year.  Most recently, the Camden Conference made a considerable investment in internet technologies. This has increased its presence significantly, facilitating the live streaming to the growing number of satellite venues and, for the first time this year, making the Conference available to people throughout the world.

The Camden Conference is a volunteer-driven organization committed to keeping registration fees low and accessibility high. Funding comes from individual gifts and memberships, local business sponsorships, and grants from institutions, foundations and corporations.

Who attends The Camden Conference?

The Conference’s participants come from wide variety backgrounds, from high school and university students to well-informed persons with personal and professional international experiences. They all have in common a keen interest in foreign policy, a desire to learn more and to participate in public debate and media discussions and to convey their insights and opinions to their political representatives.

The single most important and enduring impact of the Conference is that the people who attend and those participants who are present at pre-conference events or at the follow-up events are able to learn about the key and most cutting-edge thinking in the areas being discussed. This information contributes directly to people being in better positions to make decisions, evaluate information from political, social or religious sources or from the national or global media. An informed public is better able to evaluate debate, support and choose how to act to promote the commonwealth.

Students in particular are often most profoundly affected by the Conference programs, and are often motivated to take lifelong interests in international, political, social and religious issues. The Conference planners are especially positive about high school students and students from the University of Maine and other Maine colleges attending. The University of Maine offers a course on the annual Conference theme where materials from the Conference can be utilized.

In 2002, 400 participants attended the three day conference. In 2006, the event sold out within three days, prompting the addition of The Strand Theater in nearby Rockland as the first off-site satellite venue to which Conference proceedings were live-streamed via the Internet. The University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast was added in 2008. In 2008 and 2009, the Conference was streamed to the Hannaford Auditorium at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of Maine. In 2010, nearly 800 participants attended the Camden Conference: 500 at the Camden Opera House, and almost 300 at the two satellite venues in Rockland and Belfast.

Who addresses The Camden Conference?

Speakers come from government, business, the media and academia. They are all experts in the fields they address. For example, at the first conference, “The Making of American Foreign Policy … Myth and Reality” speakers included Brent Scowcroft, then National Security Advisor, Lawrence Eagleburger, then acting Secretary of State and William S. Cohen, then Maine’s senior senator. Brent Scowcroft returned to Camden 21 years later as keynote for the 2009 Camden Conference on Global Leadership and the U.S. Role in World Affairs. Other 2009 speakers included: Ambassador Nicholas Burns, former CIA Director John Deutch and International Crisis Group President Gareth Evans. In 2010, Ambassador Burns returned as moderator for Afghanistan, Pakistan, India – Crossroads of Conflict, featuring keynote Ahmed Rashid.

Why a conference in mid-coast Maine?

Maine has always been an important state in the U.S. political process. Often Maine has led the way on both domestic and international issues.  Being an active part of the political process is a heritage of which Maine’s residents are very proud. With a sparse population and limited indigenous diversity, programmatic initiatives such as the Camden Conference are critical ways for the populace to keep informed about significant national and global issues.

The mid-coast Maine area is known for its long tradition of community involvement in public issues. The area has also attracted an influx of year-round residents who have retired from distinguished careers in foreign service, domestic and international business and academia. The combination of interested and concerned long-time residents and newer residents makes the Conference especially attractive to speakers, who see the discussion as “lively, knowledgeable and sophisticated.”

Quotes from attendees at previous conferences:

“I was impressed by the skills, background and range of speakers … I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to attend such a conference.”

“You give us a lot to think about and provide us with perspective and understanding of world events.”

“I found this the most relevant and meaningful conference I’ve attended (and I’ve attended a lot).” A wonderful, stimulating event in mid-winter Maine. I plan to attend the conference annually.”

“… the audience was very engaged, the questions were excellent, and it was very stimulating to hear people with diverse opinions debate with each other.”

“Camden is the next Davos!”

Past conference topics

• 1988 The Making of American Foreign Policy … Myth and Reality
• 1989 The Influence of the News Media in shaping U.S. Foreign Policy
• 1990 U.S. Foreign Policy and International Trade: The Mutual Impact
• 1991 The Global Environment … A foreign Policy Agenda
• 1992 The New World Order … What Will It Be?
• 1993 The United States and Japan: A Critical Relationship
• 1994 Russia: Today and Tomorrow
• 1995 China
• 1996 Islam and politics in the Middle East
• 1997 The World’s Only Superpower: Challenge or Curse?
• 1998 Latin America: Troubled past, Uncertain Future
• 1999 Africa: South of the Sahara Keynote speaker: Margaret Dongo, “Change in Africa: From the Eyes of a Participant”
• 2000 Southeast Asia Keynote speaker: David Wurfel, “Southeast Asia: The Past in the Present”
• 2001 Globalization: Its Impact on you and ME Keynote speaker: Michael Sandel, “Globalization’s Impact on the Nation-State, the Community, and the Individual”
• 2002 The Politics of Energy and Water Keynote speaker: Matthew Simmons, “Nightmares and Dreams About World Energy Crises”
• 2003 Two Worlds under Pressure: The Growing Crisis of Population and Movement Keynote speaker: Phyllis Oakley, “A tale of two worlds”)
• 2004 Foreign Policy for the 21st Century: Seeking a Balance? Keynote speaker: Robert Kaplan, “Global Security in 2010: Fighting a Worldwide Counter-Insurgency”
• 2005 The Middle East: Compromise or Conflagration? Keynote speaker: General Tony Zinni, “The Middle East: The Way Ahead”
• 2006 China on the World Stage Keynote speaker: James Lilley, “China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, Can it Work?”
• 2007 Europe: Old Continent in a New World Keynote speaker: David Calleo, “The U.S. and the E.U.: Dissonant Visions of the New World Order”
• 2008 Religion as a Force in World Affairs Keynote speaker: Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, “Religion, World Politics and United States Foreign Policy”
• 2009 Global Leadership and the U.S. Role in World Affairs Keynote speaker: Brent Scowcroft, “Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the New Administration”
• 2010 Afghanistan, Pakistan, India – Crossroads of Conflict Keynote speaker: Ahmed Rashid, “Pakistan, Afghanistan and U.S. Policy in the Region”

You may download a Camden Conference Fact Sheet here.

Past E-Newsletters may be found at: