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Seasoned journalist and US Editor of the New Statesman Emily Tamkin probes one of the right-wing’s favorite targets, Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist George Soros, to explore the genesis of his influence and the truth of the conspiracies that surround him. For years, critics on both the right and the left have harped on hedge fund tycoon George Soros for allegedly “using his billions to foment violence, support ‘white genocide,’ and pay migrants to seek asylum in the United States” and claimed that “his philanthropy is a distraction from the economic misery he himself has made.”

Emily Tamkin joins the Atlantic Council for this event to answer the question: “Who is George Soros?” Weaving biography, cultural commentary, and investigative reporting, she brings into focus the man and his myth to examine his political influence in her new book, The Influence of Soros: Politics, Power, and the Struggle for an Open Society. This book offers “an understanding of the man and his money, his contributions and donations, and his true sway over our politics, elections, and our societies.” Ultimately, Tamkin asks, can a truly open society exist if any one man has the kind of power Soros wields?

More than just a much needed reality check on all the wild Soros conspiracies out there, this clever and well-written book shows Soros as a sort of Zelig through whom one can view the history of the 20th and 21st centuries, from Nazi occupied Europe to Obama-era US, and across the rise and destruction of many ideologies.

Peter Pomerantsev, author of Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible and This Is Not Propaganda

Please join us on Monday, July 20, 2020 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT) via Zoom. In order to participate in the call, please register below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join.

Featuring

Ms. Emily Tamkin
Author
US Editor, New Statesman

In conversation with

Mr. Benjamin Haddad
Director, Future Europe Initiative
Atlantic Council 

Introduction by

Ambassador Daniel Fried
Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow
Atlantic Council