Alliances and Freedom in the Trump Era

Our next International Symposium and Rising Leaders Summit, will take place on September 5-6, 2025, at the historic Widder Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland.

Join us in Zurich for a gathering unlike any other. This program is designed to sharpen your ideas, strengthen your network, and connect you with fellow Rising Leaders from across Europe and the United States.

Set against the elegant backdrop of the Widder Hotel, whose guest list has included figures as storied as Mikhail Gorbachev and Keith Richards, this exclusive event offers a rare chance to engage with leading thinkers, policy innovators, and peers equally committed to advancing liberty on a global scale.

Here’s what you can expect:

Night One:

We will kick off with an evening discussion and dinner featuring special guests Ambassador Matthew Whitaker, U.S. Representative to NATO, formerly serving as Acting Attorney General of the United States from 2018 to 2019, following his tenure as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. His discussion on "International Security and Peace" will include a dinner conversation and interactive Q&A with Rising Leaders and other attendees from Europe. Following dinner at the Widder, you’re invited to unwind at our private Afterparty for Rising Leaders at the exclusive Widder Garage.

Day Two:

The Summit continues on Saturday morning with morning keynote, "Trump Economic Policies," delivered by Stephen Moore, Senior Visiting Fellow in Economics at The Heritage Foundation and the author of six books, including “Trumponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive our Economy."

Two dynamic panels will follow, featuring senior, international leaders covering "Economies and Independent Nations," and "Free Speech in Free Societies." The day will culminate with lunch at the Widder.

* is a tax-exempt foundation (Steuerbefreite Stiftung) in Switzerland and a 501(c)3 in the United States.

*If you do not use PayPal, please email Anthony Curtis (YW50aG9ueSAhIGN1cnRpcyB8IGdsb2JhbC1saWJlcnR5ICEgb3Jn) for questions about other payment methods.

*Program speakers subject to change

Info: Ambassador Matthew Whitaker, Permanent Representative for the United States to NATO. He previously served as Acting Attorney General of the United States from 2018 to 2019, following his tenure as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Earlier, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, serving from 2004 to 2009. Whitaker was the managing partner of Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff, LLP, a Des Moines-based law firm, from 2009 until he rejoined the U.S. Department of Justice in 2017.


A graduate of the University of Iowa, Whitaker earned a Master of Business Administration, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts. At University of Iowa, he was a three-year letterman on the football team. He was also awarded the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor for his academic and athletic achievements in college.

Info: Stephen Moore, Senior Visiting Fellow in Economics at The Heritage Foundation and is the author of six books, including “Trumponomics: Inside the America First Plan to Revive our Economy.” From 2005-2014, Moore served as the senior economics writer for The Wall Street Journal editorial page and as a member of the WSJ editorial board. He served as a senior economic advisor to President Trump’s 2016 campaign, drafting tax, budget, and energy policy plans. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and holds a master’s degree in Economics from George Mason University. His book “Return to Prosperity: How America Can Regain its Economic Superpower Status” was a finalist for the F.A. Hayek Award for Advancing Economic Understanding. In 2018, Worth Magazine named Stephen Moore one of the 75 Most Influential People in the World Dealing with Economics and Finance.

Info: Veronique de Rugy, George Gibbs Chair in Political Economy; Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center, George Mason University, USA; Reiner Eichenberger, Professor for Economic and Financial Policy, University of Fribourg, Switzerland; Thomas Mayer, Founding Director, Flossbach von Storch Research Institute Germany; Former Chief Economist of Deutsche Bank Group and Head of Deutsche Bank Research Germany;

Info: Andrew Tettenborn, Professor and Chair in Law, Swansea University, and writer,

United Kingdom; John Yoo, Emmanuel Heller Prof. of Law, University of California-Berkeley; Distinguished Visiting Professor, School of Civic Leadership, University of Texas-Austin, USA; Joachim Steinhoefel, Attorney, civil rights and media law, and active litigator; Hamburg, Germany

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