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The Atlantic
Washington Ideas Forum

Inspired by The Atlantic's enduring partnership with the Aspen Ideas Festival, the third-annual Washington Ideas Forum gathered an audience of over 600 guests, including government officials, top business executives, global thought leaders, academics, and celebrities. It is the place to hear - and meet - the most prominent thinkers of our time.

On October 5 and 6, the Forum once again brought the best and brightest to the table for debate, conversation, and idea-sharing.

To watch highlights of the event and read coverage of the program's conversations, please visit TheAtlantic.com Special Report.

And, to access key findings from the Forum's breakout Working Summits on the morning of October 5, please select from one of the six topical sessions below:

See photos of the event on Atlantic Scene.

Featured Speakers

Alex Gibney
Alex Gibney Taxi to the Dark Side; Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room; Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Filmmaker
Alice Rivlin
Alice Rivlin Former Vice Chairman, Federal Reserve; Senior Fellow, Economic Studies
Brookings Institution
Amjad Atallah
Amjad Atallah Bureau Chief for the Americas
Al Jazeera English
Anne-Marie Slaughter
Anne-Marie Slaughter Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs
Princeton University
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio Villaraigosa Mayor
City of Los Angeles
Ben Sherwood
Ben Sherwood President
ABC News
Brian Moynihan
Brian Moynihan President and CEO
Bank of America
Brian Williams
Brian Williams Anchor and Managing Editor
NBC Nightly News
Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook Political Analyst
The Cook Report
Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews Anchor
MSNBC
Chuck Todd
Chuck Todd Chief White House Correspondent and Political Director
NBC News
David Brooks
David Brooks Op-Ed Columnist
The New York Times
David Gregory
David Gregory Moderator
NBC News’ Meet the Press
David Leonhardt
David Leonhardt Washington Bureau Chief
The New York Times
David Rhodes
David Rhodes President
CBS News
David Rubenstein
David Rubenstein Co-Founder and Managing Director
The Carlyle Group
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney Former Vice President of the United States
Simon & Schuster
Eric Schmidt
Eric Schmidt Executive Chairman
Google Inc.
Gwen Ifill
Gwen Ifill Moderator and Managing Editor
PBS' Washington Week
Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger 56th Secretary of State
United States Department of State
Howard Schultz
Howard Schultz Chairman and CEO
Starbucks Corporation
Jim Duff
Jim Duff President and Chief Executive Officer
Freedom Forum
Joel Klein
Joel Klein CEO of the Education Division and Executive Vice President, Office of the Chairman
News Corporation
Katie Couric
Katie Couric Journalist and Host
ABC News
Lawrence Kudlow
Lawrence Kudlow Host
CNBC's The Kudlow Report
Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney Attorney and daughter of Dick Cheney
Simon & Schuster
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio Senator
United States Senator for Florida
Marwan Muasher
Marwan Muasher Former Deputy Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Vice President for Studies
Carnegie Endowment
Melody Barnes
Melody Barnes Former Director of the Domestic Policy Council
The White House
Paul Ryan
Paul Ryan R - Wisconsin
United States House of Representatives
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf Former President
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Rex W. Tillerson
Rex W. Tillerson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
ExxonMobil
Steve Capus
Steve Capus President
NBC News
Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw Special Correspondent
NBC Nightly News
Valerie Jarrett
Valerie Jarrett Senior Advisor
The White House
William Daley
William Daley Chief of Staff
The White House

Presenting Underwriters

Allstate logo Bank of America logo Exxon Mobil logo
Siemens logo Thomson Reuters logo utc logo

Supporting Underwriters

University of Phoenix logo