June 13, 2023| Member Event | Washington, D.C.

Beyond the Battlefield: The Economic and Political Future of Ukraine

Event Overview

Please join us and fellow Members for an in-depth luncheon conversation with Piotr Trabinski and Kurt Volker (bios below), moderated by Common Sense Society President and C.E.O. Marion Smith.

Our speakers will lead a thought-provoking discussion on Ukraine’s future after the devastating impacts of Russian aggression. They will offer an analysis of the economic aftermath and discuss which sectors will require the greatest assistance after the war. In assessing whether reforms must occur prior to reconstruction assistance, they will evaluate what types of assistance will expedite Ukraine’s transition to a modern state and what role Western businesses can play in expediting Ukraine’s transition to a modern state. Beyond the economic and political landscape, and with first-hand knowledge of the country, they will offer insights on the cultural aspects of Ukraine’s transformation and examine the necessary reforms required to accelerate the internalization of Western principles and values.

The event is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. on June 13, 2023, at 1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and will conclude at 1:30 p.m. Kindly RSVP to Alex Pack at alex@commonsensesociety.org by June 8, 2023.

Location

1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20004

Featured Speakers

Ambassador Kurt Volker

Ambassador Kurt Volker is a leading expert in U.S. foreign and national security policy with over 35 years of experience in a variety of government, academic, and private sector capacities. He served as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations from 2017 to 2019, and as U.S. Ambassador to NATO from 2008-2009. Ambassador Volker is President and Founder of Alliance Strategic Advisors, LLC, which provides strategic advice and services to a diverse range of business clients with interest in Central and Eastern Europe. He has previously served as a Director of CG Funds Trust and the Wall Street Fund. He also serves as Senior International Advisor at BGR Group, which provides government relations, public relations, and business advisory services to a wide array of clients. In June 2020, Amb. Volker was named a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). From 2012-2019, Ambassador Volker was the founding Executive Director of The McCain Institute for International Leadership, a part of Arizona State University based in Washington, DC. He remains a Senior Advisor at the Atlantic Council; a Trustee of the American College of the Mediterranean in Aix-en-Provence, France; a Founding Partner of the American University of Kyiv; a Trustee of the Hungary Initiatives Foundation; a member of the GLOBSEC International Advisory Board; and a member of the International Advisory Board of the U.S. Institute for Peace. He has taught Transatlantic Relations at The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs and is a member of that School’s Board of Advisors. He contributes regularly to public policy debates, through op-eds, articles, speeches, and television appearances for a wide variety of outlets.

Piotr Trabinsk

Mr. Piotr Trabinski is a senior fellow at Common Sense Society and a former International Monetary Fund executive director, where he worked on fiscal and monetary policies, financial sector supervision, central bank digital currencies, fintech regulation, anti-money laundering, and combating terrorism financing. Prior to that, he worked in Poland’s banking sector where he held corporate senior managerial positions and spearheaded IT projects. He has a J.D. and LL.M. from the University of Warsaw, an M.Eng. in computer science and cybersecurity from the George Washington University, and an M.A. in international relations from The Institute of World Politics.

Marion Smith

Marion Smith is the President and C.E.O. of Common Sense Society, which he founded in 2009. CSS is an international network that promotes the principles of liberty, prosperity, and beauty. He is a director and former chairman of Washington, D.C.’s National Civic Art Society, a former visiting fellow in the B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics at The Heritage Foundation, and the former executive director and C.E.O. of the congressionally authorized Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a bipartisan educational, research, and human rights nonprofit. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from South Carolina’s Wofford College and earned an M.A. from Central European University. His writings have been published in The Hill, Los Angeles Times, National Review, Politico, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He is a regular guest on network and cable television channels, including ABC, NBC, MSNBC, Fox News, CNN, and CSPAN.