Why Democracy’s Best Days Are Still Ahead

Last month, Renew Democracy Initiative held its Heroes of Democracy gala in New York City on the same day that we launched The Next Move. I gave the closing remarks, in which I warned of what I call the “Putinization of America.”

This week, we posted three more inspirational speeches from the gala, from RDI CEO Uriel Epshtein, Venezuelan President-Elect Edmundo González, and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. We honored both González and Machado with our annual Heroes of Democracy award that evening.

As always, I love hearing from The Next Move subscribers. I respond in this week’s Q&A below.

Finally, I hope you’ll log into Substack this coming Monday, June 2, at 5pm ET/2pm PT for a very special interview with my good friend General Stanley McChrystal, whose recent book, “On Character: Choices That Define a Life” outlines our current crisis of character and offers us a way out.

Full details at the bottom of this email.

— Garry Kasparov

Why Free Societies’ Best Days Are Still Ahead

Uriel Epshtein · 5:24 PM

On a crisp New York evening last month, the Renew Democracy Initiative gathered its friends, allies, and supporters for a gala unlike any other. Of course there was champagne, terrific food, and great company, but what set it apart was the truly unique assortment of speakers and guests: from astronauts to dissidents to political leaders and social media…

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Haunted By a Soviet Zombie

Garry Kasparov · 5:14 PM

Starting off with my weekly column, I was inspired by how many of you took an interest in Romania. I must admit I was a little self conscious writing about a country that is not on every American, or, frankly, every European’s radar, even though it should be. Will anyone care? You do, and that gives me reason to hope! We need to learn from Romania!

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A Surprise Guest on The Next Move!

A quick announcement: Our Substack Live this coming Monday (06/02) at 5pm ET/2pm PT will feature Four-Star General Stanley McChrystal. The former commander of US Forces in Afghanistan and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Stan recently published On Character: Choices That Define a Life.

We don’t talk enough about character. Talking politics is fine, but what actually motivates people, what gets them to behave a certain way is character. It matters on a societal level and it’s something that the pro-democracy community doesn’t usually discuss. I’m honestly not sure why, but it’s one of the things that we’ll be focusing on at The Next Move.

So I’m excited that to have Stan joining me and Garry on Monday, 06/02 at 5pm ET/2pm PT. I hope to see you there!