The convention
Extremists shouldn’t have a monopoly on inspiration.
So we’re building a positive vision for a free society
Liberal democracy is losing ground. Even though liberalism is where we get individual freedom, checks and balances, and human flourishing, the very word “liberal” has practically become a slur among extremists of all stripes. It’s code for cringe, uncool, cheugy.
That’s why we’re launching FOFcon—the Future of Freedom Convention—on December 9-10 in Washington, DC, where we’ll be laying out the blueprint for everything that a free society can be.
It’s easy to call out bad guys like Hasan Piker and Tucker Carlson. But simply stating what you’re against is a recipe for political disaster. People are tired of the resistance—it’s time to offer a positive vision for liberalism that promotes human flourishing, protects minorities, advances ideological diversity, and guarantees personal agency.
Oh, and that terminology—the Future of Freedom Convention—is deliberate. We used to run a “conference”—everyone in DC has a conference. Circular agreement, soulless meeting rooms, workshops that participants forget before they’ve even finished. We’re not doing that. FOFcon is heterodox. It’s lively. What Comic Con is for superhero fans, FOFcon is for freedom fighters.
Big ideas at FOFcon:
01
Inspiring devotion
Mainstream liberal leaders rarely get people riled up anymore, so we’re going to a different class of leaders who are literally trained to command devotion in their followers—people like military officers and religious leaders. We’re going to find out what it takes to inspire people to stand up, and even risk their lives, for an idea or something they can’t even see.
02
What makes the Democratic World better
Not what makes the Democratic World great—what makes the democratic West better than the rest. There’s no moral relativism at FOFcon: we’re not afraid to say that you’re better off living in America, Japan, or Western Europe than in Cuba, China, or Russia, and we’re going to make sure everyone knows why.
03
Debates that make us uncomfortable
Everyone says they support an “open exchange of ideas,” but the ideas you’ll hear on conference panels are suspiciously close together. We’re debating big ideas: the radicalism of the American Revolution, AI, and more—and we’re going to have real disagreements. Sometimes, it’ll be tense– even awkward, but it’s the only way we can sharpen our vision and our ability to fight.
04
Civic courage
Democracy isn’t a hobby or a niche academic pursuit—it’s something that requires a survival instinct and an active defense. We’ll engage with our dissident community, because who better to talk about why democracy is something you need to fight for than those who were born without it?
After FOFcon:
Extremists are most successful when they channel a sense of belonging in their followers. To fight back, we’re building a community of our own that goes far beyond one event in Washington, DC. Participants will leave FOFcon with unexpected allies, as part of a broader coalition and armed with a positive vision that can compete with political demagogues. It’s time to stop reacting to what’s broken and offer people something to aspire to.
Sponsorship
FOFCON 2026 —
Sponsorship Levels
If you’d like to support RDI
with in-kind support such as travel, lodging, catering,
printing, photography, video production, technology, or media support,
please reach out to
AnneElyse DeArment
at giving@rdi.org or
(646) 922-9420.