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.
The programme
Agenda
December 9–10, 2026 · Washington, DC
Day 1 · Wednesday, December 9
9:00 AM
Keynote
Welcome and Keynote from RDI Chairman Garry Kasparov and RDI CEO Uriel Epshtein
9:30 AM
Democracy Through The Eyes of Those Born Without It
People who have lived in unfree societies share what America looks like from the outside: what they think of our freedoms and flaws, and what’s at stake around the world when American democracy falters. Each speaker opens with a short, five-minute TED-style talk on their personal journey and what America means to those who know firsthand what it’s like to live without liberty.
10:15 AM
The Wannabe Strongman’s Handbook: How To Build An Authoritarian Populist Movement
Read description
If you wanted to amass power as an authoritarian, how would you do it? People who served in populist governments provide a step-by-step playbook. Don’t try this at home!
11:00 AM
The Good Life: What Are We Actually Fighting For?
Read description
No one is actually fighting for elections or free speech—those elements of liberal democracy are simply the ingredients necessary for us to prosper. So what does that prosperity actually look like? Leading public intellectuals sketch out their visions for the good life.
12:00 PM
Lunch
1:00 PM
Performance
Comic Relief
Read description
Talking about politics all day is a drag. A prominent comic lightens the mood.
1:20 PM
New Models for New Media
Read description
Talking about politics all day is a drag. A prominent comic lightens the mood.
2:05 PM
Break
2:20 PM
Bringing Tech Bros Back Into the Tent
Read description
Innovation and technology have become right-coded issues, turning Silicon Valley into a hub of political reaction. But the Tech Bros weren’t always allies of authoritarians, and we—the pro-democracy camp—have not always effectively engaged with them. This panel will explore how to win back this influential cohort.
3:05 PM
The Next 250 Years of American Democracy: An Exercise in Speculative Fiction
Read description
The conversation in DC about democracy is too often limited to the usual suspects: politicians, academics, pundits, and think tankers. We’re broadening our imaginations by turning to the creative minds whose books, movies, and TV shows give us a roadmap for the many different futures that may await us.
3:55 PM
Fireside chat
A Top Political Leader’s Vision for America and Fireside Chat
4:50 PM
Debate
Debate feat. Destiny
Read description
The streamer Destiny (Steven Bonnell) is one of the most aggressive defenders of liberalism today and someone who never shies away from a debate challenge.
5:50 PM
Closing
Closing Remarks
6:00 PM
Reception
Day 2 · Thursday, December 10
9:00 AM
Welcome
Welcome and Day 1 Recap
9:30 AM
The Radicalism of the American Revolution
The story of the American Revolution has been hijacked: It’s either mired in sin as the 1619 Project suggested or whitewashed and flawless as the Trump Administration’s 1776 Commission claimed. We need to recapture the spirit of the Revolution—this conversation will focus on the radicalism of the founders’ liberal worldview and how transformative ideas can outlive flawed men.
10:15 AM
Keynote
Garry Kasparov on the Future of Freedom
11:00 AM
An Officer and a Clergyman: How Military and Religious Leaders Inspire Faith
Read description
Proposing good policy isn’t enough to inspire people. Movements are built when they become a part of people’s identity. We’ll talk to military leaders and clergy about how they build community and inspire their troops and their congregation to commit.
11:45 AM
Lunch
12:30 PM
Make International Alliances Cool Again
Read description
Pro-Russia, pro-CCP grifters like Tucker Carlson and Hasan Piker have made supporting dictatorship sexy. We need to be unashamed of saying that you’d rather live in Western Europe, Taiwan, or Japan than under Putin and Xi—in this panel, leaders from frontline democracies will highlight how we can shore up our alliances, cut through any false equivalence, and equip us to make the case that the West really is better than the rest.
1:20 PM
After the Midterms: Conversations With Congressional Leaders
Read description
Members of the House poised to be leaders in the next Congress lay out their big-picture vision and policy agenda going into 2028.
2:15 PM
Break
2:30 PM
Reclaiming Family Values
Read description
The mainstream pro-democracy camp is so caught up in conversations about politics and institutions that they’ve left the discussion about family and values to the extremes. Yet our families and children are what’s most important, and this is not ground we can afford to cede. How do we raise kids to be resilient, ambitious and civically-engaged?Talking about politics all day is a drag. A prominent comic lightens the mood.
3:20 PM
Between Accelerationists and Doomers: A Positive Vision for AI
Read description
The public discourse around AI either treats it as an evil that needs to be overcome or an absolute good that should be subject to no guardrails.
4:00 PM
Break
4:15 PM
Performance
Musical Performance
4:35 PM
Keynote
Keynotes
4:55 PM
Fireside chat
Fireside Chat
5:35 PM
Debate
Free Speech Debate
6:20 PM
Closing
Closing Remarks and Convention Send-Off
6:30 PM
Reception