The highlight of the conference year is the three-day Camden Conference, which takes place the third weekend in February at the Opera House in historic downtown Camden. For the first time this year, the World Affairs Council of Maine and the Camden Conference are offering a live presentation of the Camden Conference at the Hannaford Auditorium in Portland. For more information or to register to attend the Conference in Portland, visit the World Affairs Council of Maine's website or call (207) 780-4551.

The 20th annual Camden Conference, which took place Feb. 23-25, 2007, took a closer look at Europe's current trends, complexities, and global relations. The event also highlighted some lessons that Americans could be learning from European experiences and perspectives.

The program as of December 15, 2006, was as follows:

Friday Evening, Feb. 23

• 8 p.m.: KEYNOTE ADDRESS
  DAVID J. CALLEO, Dean Acheson Professor and Director of European Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
  Title: "The U.S. and the E.U.: Dissonant Visions of the New World Order"

Saturday, Feb. 24

• 7:30 a.m.: Coffee and Late Registration
• 8:15 a.m.: Introduction
• 8:30 a.m.: JOHN R. GILLINGHAM III, Professor of History, University of Missouri at St. Louis
  Title: "Evolution and Achievements of the European Union"
• 9:00 a.m.: ULRIKE GUÉROT, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
  Title: "Current Dynamics and Uncertain Future of the European Union"
• 9:30 a.m.: Q & A session for John Gillingham & Ulrike Guérot
• 10:30 a.m.: Coffee Break
• 11:00 a.m.: RICHARD N. COOPER, Maurits C. Boas Professor of International Economics, Harvard University
  Title: "Economic Realities and Prospects"
• Noon-1:30 p.m.: Break for Lunch
• 1:45 p.m.: NICHOLAS WHYTE, Independent Diplomat ( former Director of the International Crisis Group-Brussels)
  Title: "The Balkans: Crucible for E.U. Foreign Policy."
• 2:40 p.m.: JANUSZ BUGAJSKI, Director, Eastern Europe Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington, D.C.)
  Title: "How New Members in Central and Eastern Europe Will Change the E.U."
• 3:35 p.m.: Afternoon Coffee Break
• 4:05 p.m. JYTTE KLAUSEN, Professor of Comparative Politics, Brandeis University
  Title: "The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe"

Sunday, February 25

• 8:30 a.m.: DMITRI TRENIN, Deputy Director, Carnegie Moscow Center, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  Title: "Issues and Anxieties Between Russia and Europe"
• 9:15 a.m.: Ambassador ROBERT HUTCHINGS, Diplomat in Residence, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University
  Title: "Permanent Allies? Transatlantic Relations After the Crisis"
• 10:30 a.m.: Coffee Break
• 11:00 a.m.: CLOSING PANEL WITH ALL SPEAKERS
• 12:30 p.m.: Conference Adjourns

The moderator for the 2007 Camden Conference was James W. Warhola, Professor of Political Science at the University of Maine in Orono.

Short bios of the speakers and the moderator are available on the Speakers page. If you want to get some background information on Europe in preparation for the Conference, be sure to check out the Book List page for some book suggestions and the Relevant Articles page for essays of interest. The Links page will direct you to a number of informative websites about European politics, economics and culture.