The Response to the First Strategy Forum Has Been Extraordinary
Over the past 24 hours, the response to our first Strategy Forum in Washington has been far larger than I anticipated.
What began months ago as analysis of escalation, coercion, and great-power politics is increasingly becoming something more important: a real strategic conversation among people across the political spectrum trying to understand where the world is heading — and how to prevent the next generation of strategic disasters before they happen.
That is exactly why we decided to launch the Strategy Forum series.
The goal is not simply another event.
The goal is to build a continuing Washington forum bringing together journalists, policymakers, military analysts, scholars, and independent voices for serious long-form strategic discussion outside the normal television and social-media environment.
The first forum will focus on one central question:
How to Prevent Another Forever War in the Middle East
Presented by Escalation Trap and The Left Hook
Friday, May 22
6:00pm–8:30pm
Busboys and Poets
450 K Street NW
Washington, DC
Confirmed speakers currently include Robert Pape, Wajahat Ali, Joe Kent, Trita Parsi, Emily Jashinsky, and Narges Barjoghli, with additional guests still being finalized.
The evening forum itself is free to attend.
We are also holding a smaller afternoon strategic briefing and discussion session focused on the deeper escalation dynamics shaping the current international system, including:
the Iran war,
warning indicators for wider regional conflict,
US-China competition,
and the broader transformation now occurring in global power politics.
The afternoon session will be much closer to the kind of private strategic briefing I normally give using slides, escalation models, historical comparisons, and extended Q&A discussion.
Friday, May 22
2:30pm–4:30pm
Park Hyatt Washington
Georgetown, Washington, DC
No additional charge for session, soft drinks etc provided
Afternoon attendees get a seat at evening event too
Because space remains limited, priority seating continues to go first to Founding Members, then paid subscribers, and then free subscribers if space remains available.
The evening forum will also be livestreamed for subscribers unable to attend in person.
If you are interested in attending either session, please complete the registration form below.
I am genuinely excited about where this community is heading.
My hope is that the Strategy Forum becomes not simply another event series, but a serious intellectual and strategic community focused on understanding escalation, great-power competition, and how to prevent the next generation of geopolitical disasters before they happen.
— Robert Pape