ISMA

It was chilling to hear this directly from Kara-Murza. For me, the most valuable talk amongst many at this conference.

Really glad I decided to come to the Liberalism for the 21st Century conference in DC. Met a lot of people I consider intellectual luminaries. Got to talk linguistics with Steven Pinker, met Renee DiResta, Bill Kristol, Vladimir Kara-Murza, people from FIRE, etc.

Watergate Hotel is really cool too!

Libcon was pretty good. Got to meet a lot of cool people and attend a bunch of insightful panels that stimulated conversations about what liberalism needs to do going forward. Thanks to @theunpopulist.net and @ismapolicy.bsky.social for putting g this on. Hopefully in an unoccupied city next year!

“The only way a populist can be fought is by telling a true story better.”

I’m at the Liberalism in the 21st Century conference listening to Suketu Mehta extol the critical virtues of storytelling.

“God speaks to us in stories, not in studies.”

'Appeasing an Aggressor Never Leads to Peace': Vladimir Kara-Murza The brave Russian dissident who Putin poisoned and imprisoned stood tall and condemned tyrants, emphasizing that gatherings like LibCon2025 are essential to defeating them

One of my favorite moments from #LibCon2025 was Russian dissident @vkaramurza.bsky.social's powerful dinner keynote address.

Here it is in @theunpopulist.net in its entirety. Please read and share widely.

'Appeasing an Aggressor Never Leads to Peace': Vladimir Kara-Murza The brave Russian dissident who Putin poisoned and imprisoned stood tall and condemned tyrants, emphasizing that gatherings like LibCon2025 are essential to defeating them

Putin tried twice to poison @vkaramurza.bsky.social. Threw him in prison, releasing him last year only in a prisoner swap. Yet this man, a genuine hero, stood unbowed at LibCon2025 and warned of the dangers of appeasing tyrants.Please listen @theunpopulist.net
www.theunpopulist.net/p/appeasing-...

'Appeasing an Aggressor Never Leads to Peace': Vladimir Kara-Murza The brave Russian dissident who Putin poisoned and imprisoned stood tall and condemned tyrants, emphasizing that gatherings like LibCon2025 are essential to defeating them

Text of Vladimir Kara-Murza's terrific speech at #LibCon2025, including introduction by Institute of Humane Studies president Emily Chamlee-Wright, and video:

That’s a wrap for LibCon2025. It was lovely to meet some of you there for the first time. Good time with good people.

We will be putting out content from the event in the coming months—so look for that soon. For now, don’t forget to read (and share) @shikhadalmia.bsky.social’s brilliant opener.

Chandra Kukathas: "The more vigorously you want to control immigration, the more vigorously you have to control your own citizens." #LibCon2025

LibCon2025 rolls on: Persuasion’s Yascha Mounk, Poland master political operative @alexandersikorski.bsky.social,
Bosnia and Herzegovina MP Sabina Cudic, and the always excellent writer and commentator @leonkrauze.bsky.social

Sabina Ćudić, MP in Bosnia & Herzegovina, on how anti-populist liberal democratic parties can win: you have to deliver. #LibCon2025

Good point from @alexandersikorski.bsky.social on the absolute (and often ignored) importance of not just achieving goals in gov't, but *communicating* what you're doing on a daily basis (he references @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's style of campaigning as well). #libcon2025

"This peculiar notion in America, that somehow this threat to liberalism and to democracy, this authoritarian threat, has only happened here and hasn't happened elsewhere. And the truth is that it has indeed happened elsewhere. Latin American History proves it."

- @leonkrauze.bsky.social

Please follow the team:

@shikhadalmia.bsky.social
@bernybelvedere.bsky.social
@landryayres.bsky.social
@ismapolicy.bsky.social

The address is well worth reading in its entirety. In a world of Indian immigrants like Bhattacharya, Sivaram Krishnan & Dhillon toiling for the Trump regime, I for one am glad to see, read & support the moral clarity of @shikhadalmia.bsky.social

Panel on immigration with @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social, Chandran Kukathas, and David Goodhart. #LibCon2025

Dan Drezner on how ironic it is that MAGA is non-interventionist when it comes to authoritarian nations (Russia, China) yet *deeply* interested in the domestic politics of democracies like Brazil, Germany, etc. #LibCon2025

At #LibCon2025 sovereignty panel, @dandrezner.bsky.social says the current admin talks about not pressing other countries on internal human rights when it’s an autocracy like China, but when it’s a democracy like Brazil, Germany or even the U.K. they’re willing to “intervene like nobody’s business.”

Four panelists in chairs.

#LibCon2025 panel on sovereignty kicks off. Moderator Nayyera Haq (Syracuse) said she had to go through two law enforcement checkpoints to get to today’s event at the Watergate, though “only one of them” was conducted by masked unidentified operators.

At #LibCon2025: @dandrezner.bsky.social and @jenmittelstadt.bsky.social

"The debate about immigration is not about a conflict between citizens or natives and outsiders. It's really a debate or a conflict between people within a society."

- Chandran Kukathas at #LibCon2025

PREACH IT BROTHER

Liberals Need Moral Clarity, Not Moral Purity, in Their Struggle Against Authoritarianism We should take inspiration from Frederick Douglass and strive for a broad alliance

“Authoritarian consolidation is Trump’s true Operation Warp Speed. After 250 years as a constitutional republic, America has stunningly shown that it had no exceptional institutional immunity to the authoritarian virus.”

"So I actually like the deep state. I think that any functioning political system has to have a civil service that meets these basic Weberian requirements of being non-partisan, expert, professional, and the like."

- ‪‪‪@frankfukuyama.bsky.social‬ at #LibCon2025

Dinner Keynote at #LibCon2025 by @vkaramurza.bsky.social

Libs for the deep state. 😈

This was a fun conversation, about Trump's second term as an effort to roll back the legal and cultural changes of the civil rights movement. Look for it on a future episode of The UnPopulist's Zooming In podcast.

Live podcast taping at #LibCon2025 with these legends: @aaronrosspowell.com, @radleybalko.bsky.social, @sykescharlie.bsky.social

Its anti-professionalism may not be one of fascism’s greatest crimes, but it is one if its most pernicious.