Regime Change: How to Replace the Beltway Blob with the Foreign Policy Americans Want

As we near the end of President Trump’s first term, conservatism has been turned on its head. A national conversation has unleashed new approaches to everything from Washington politics and the economy, to government and American culture. Thankfully, this landscape has also created new opportunities for challenging the predominance of U.S interventionist foreign policies. The people have spoken. Americans clearly want change in our militaristic approach to the world.

Yet there is still one obstacle standing in the way of real success : A fully entrenched establishment devoted to American military primacy, global hegemony, and maintaining the status quo, at all costs. We call it ‘The Blob.’

Join us at TAC's 6th annual Foreign Policy Conference where we discuss how to defeat these vested interests whose broad tentacles are working directly in conflict with real American goals and values.

Full Schedule:

8:30-8:50 a.m Light Breakfast

8:50 a.m. Welcome

• John Burtka IV, Executive Director, The American Conservative

Overview of Conference

• James Antle III, Editor, The American Conservative

9-9:45 a.m. The State of U.S. Foreign Policy in Trump’s Washington

• Q & A with Andrew Bacevich, TAC Writer-at-Large and president of The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and James Antle III, Editor, TAC.

9:45-10:45 a.m. Realism Versus Washington power: Why the Blob Persists

• Damon Linker -- Senior Correspondent, The Week
• Michael Desch -- Professor of International Relations, University of Notre Dame
• Monica Duffy Toft -- Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, Tufts University.
• Andrew Bacevich -- TAC Writer-at-Large and Co-founder of The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
• Moderator: Will Ruger -- Vice President for Policy and Research, Charles Koch Institute

Short Break

11 a.m.-12:00 pm. Throwing a Monkey Wrench into the Military Industrial Complex

• Heather Brandon-Smith--Legislative Director, Friends Committee on National Legislation
• Emma Ashford--Defense and Foreign Policy research fellow, Cato Institute
• Trevor Thrall--Associate professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University
• Peter Van Buren--Author, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People
• Jeff Groom--Author, American Cobra Pilot: A Marine Remembers a Dog and Pony Show
• Moderator: Reid Smith--Manager, Foreign Policy Initiatives, Charles Koch Institute

12:00-12:15 p.m. Lunch

12:15-1:00 p.m. Conservative Media Changing the Foreign Policy Consensus

• Matt Peterson--Editor, The American Mind
• Will Chamberlain--Publisher, Human Events
• Daniel McCarthy--Editor, Modern Age
• Moderator: James Antle III-- Editor, The American Conservative

1:00-2:00 p.m. Think Tank Town: The Swampy Ecosystem Supporting Status Quo

• Ben Freeman--Director, Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative, Center for International Policy
• Carrie Levine--Senior Reporter, Center for Public Integrity
• Stephen Wertheim--Co-founder, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
• Chris Preble--Vice President of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute
• Moderator: Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, Executive Editor, The American Conservative

2:00-3:00 p.m. How to End the Failed American Era in the Middle East

• Gil Barndollar--Center for the Study of Statesmanship, Catholic University
• (Ret.) Col. Doug Macgregor--Author, Margin of Victory: Five Battles that Changed the Face of Modern War
• Mark Perry--Author, The Pentagon’s Wars: The Military’s Undeclared Wars Against America’s Presidents.
• Moderator: Curt Mills--Senior Writer at The American Conservative

We look forward to seeing you on November 7!