Lion and Eagle Symposium: Twenty-Five Years of Freedom

Transatlantic Geopolitical, Security, and Economic 
Challenges through the Eyes of Czech and American Envoys

Welcome Remarks:
The Hon. Paula J. Dobriansky
Board Director
Atlantic Council
Senior Fellow, John F. Kennedy Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs 
Harvard University

Keynote address:
H.E. Jan Hamacek
Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies
Parliament of the Czech Republic

Moderated by:
William Drozdiak
President
American Council on Germany

Kevin Klose
Former President
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.

Czech and U.S. Ambassadors:

The. Hon. Adrian A. Basora
Former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (1992 – 1995) 
Director, Project on Democratic Transitions
Foreign Policy Research Institute 

The Hon. William J. Cabaniss, Jr.
Former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2003 – 2006) 

The Hon. Norman L. Eisen
Former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2011 – 2014)

H.E. Petr Gandalovič
Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the US (2011 – )

The Hon. Richard W. Graber
Former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2006 – 2009) 
Vice President of Government Relations
Honeywell International

Amb. Petr Kolář
Former Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the US (2005 – 2010)
Senior Advisor, Squire Sanders  

The Hon. William Luers
Former US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia (1983 – 1986)
Director, The Iran Project 

Amb. Martin Palouš
Former Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the US (2001 – 2005)
Director, Václav Havel Library  

H.E. Andrew H. Schapiro
US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2014 – )

The Hon. John Shattuck
Former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (1998 – 2000)
President and Rector
Central European University

The Hon. Craig Roberts Stapleton
Former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2001-2003)
Senior Advisor, Stone Point Capital

Amb. Alexandr Vondra
Former Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the US (1997 – 2001)
Former Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic 

The Hon. Jenonne R. Walker
Former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic (1995 – 1998)

Amb. Michael Žantovský
Former Czechoslovak Ambassador to the US (1992 – 1993)
Former Czech Ambassador to the US (1993 – 1997)
President, Aspen Institute, Prague 

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Twenty-five years ago, the countries of Central Europe seized a moment of hope, freed their nations of communist control, and set forth on a remarkable transformation of their societies, political systems, and economies. These laudable efforts led to a successful integration of these nations into NATO, the European Union, and the greater transatlantic community. Today, this stability and prosperity is being put to the test by a newly aggressive Russia, whose actions in Ukraine are a stark reminder that the hard-fought freedoms and ideals of the Velvet Revolution should not be taken for granted. Countries in Central and Eastern Europe now face a fundamentally altered strategic environment which demands strong transatlantic unity and resolve. 

As a sequel to Prague's 2011 Lion and Eagle Symposium, this event will leverage the experience of former and current Czech and US Ambassadors to offer a frank discussion about the unfinished business of transformation in Central Europe and beyond, the current state of Czech-American relations, as well as reiterate the principles which transatlantic security and cooperation have been built upon. Two panels will offer unique perspectives, coinciding with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which reestablished democracy in former Czechoslovakia, and the fifteenth anniversary of the Czech Republic's accession into NATO. 

The event will be part of a week-long Celebration of Freedom, during which the Czech Embassy and its American friends and partners will commemorate twenty-five years of freedom and honor late Czech President Vaclav Havel's inspirational legacy in the spirit of our shared values and freedom. The highlight of the celebrations will be the dedication of a bust of President Havel in the United States Capitol, a most honorable recognition voted upon by the US House of Representatives earlier this year.

November 18, 2014
10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Atlantic Council
1030 15th Street NW
12th Floor (West Tower Elevator)
Washington, DC

This event is open to the press and on-the-record.

VISITING THE COUNCIL: Metro and parking info