The Hungarian American Coalition is co-sponsoring an international conference on foreign policy issues related to the Central and East European region (CEE). The conference is organized by the New European Democracies Project of the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS), and the Foundation for Democracy, Culture and Liberty of Romania.

The conference will be held Thursday, October 2, 2008 at CSIS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, the conference will examine the strategic relationship between the United States and CEE states for the purpose of generating concrete policy recommendations for the incoming U.S. Administration.

This timely event will feature representatives from the two U.S. presidential campaigns, and participation by diaspora leaders, regional experts, analysts, business representatives, scholars, and the media. Speakers include: Janusz Bugajski, Director, New European Democracies Project, CSIS; Dragos Seuleanu, Foundation for Democracy, Liberty, and Culture, Romania; Jeffrey Simon of National Defense University; Stephen Blank, U.S. Army War College; Vladimir Socor, Jamestown Foundation; and Anita Orban, Constellation Energy Institute, Hungary. Discussants will be Maximilian Teleki, President, Hungarian American Coalition, and Metodija A. Koloski, from the United Macedonia Diaspora.

Additional co-sponsors of this event represent diaspora communities of Europe’s new democracies: the American Polish Forum; the United Macedonian Diaspora; American Friends of the Czech Republic; Friends of Slovakia; the Georgian Association of the U.S.; and the Joint Baltic American National Committee, representing the Estonian American National Council, the American Latvian Association, and the Lithuanian American Council.

Interested participants should contact the New European Democracies Project by e-mailing NEDP@csis.org or calling (202) 775-3217.