The 38th Camden Conference

The 38^th Camden Conference is taking shape, and it will be an exciting and highly informative weekend!  We’re still building our speaker roster, but we can give you a sneak peek of some of the personalities who will join us February 21-23, 2025 on the stage of the Camden Opera House. Given the state of the world today, this is a Conference you will not want to miss!

We are thrilled that Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa will return to Camden to deliver the keynote address. The crusading Filipina journalist co-founded Rappler, the top digital-only news site that is leading the fight for press freedom in the Philippines. In 2021, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to safeguard freedom of expression.

Adding to the global perspective on threats to democracy are two distinguished experts: John Shattuck from the Fletcher Graduate School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and Jennifer McCoy of Georgia State University’s Center for Human Rights and Democracy. Shattuck will address Hungary and Eastern Europe, giving us a first-hand account of the rollback of democracy in Hungary. A distinguished former diplomat and expert on Eastern European politics, he was chancellor of the Central European University in Budapest when the Orban government cracked down on academic freedom, ultimately forcing CEU to move to Vienna. McCoy, a specialist in democratization, polarization, mediation, conflict prevention, election processes, and Latin American politics, will focus on Venezuela and Latin America.

Ressa, Shattuck, and McCoy will be among the distinguished roster of speakers on stage at the Opera House the weekend of February 21-23, 2025, for “Democracy Under Threat: A Global Perspective.” We’re delighted to report that David Brancaccio, host and senior editor of the public radio program “Marketplace Morning Report,” will return as our favorite moderator. An award-winning journalist, Brancaccio has co-produced and appeared in several documentaries, including “Fixing the Future” about alternative approaches to the economy, and “On Thin Ice” about climate change and water security.

We look forward to sharing further details with you in the coming months about this timely Conference. We hope you plan to attend and participate in what promises to be a stimulating exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Pictured left to right: Maria Ressa, John Shattuck, Jennifer McCoy, David Brancaccio.