The John Quincy Adams Society is holding a two-part summer conference you won’t want to miss. Join us just outside Washington, D.C. this July 17-21. This is your chance to learn, grow, and connect – and to prepare yourself to make change in the world of U.S. foreign policy. Learn more and apply below.

You can participate in both programs or just one.

If you aren’t in Washington, we can provide hotel and travel costs for most participants. There are no fees to participate in either of these programs. Meals are included.

You can view photos from last year’s summer conference here.

Morgenthau Grand Strategy Seminar

Are you a student or early career professional looking to deepen your knowledge of grand strategy this summer? The Morgenthau Grand Strategy Seminar (MGSS) is for you. From July 17-19 you’ll take part in small, intensive seminars led by grand strategy scholars. Choose your path through a wide selection of topics within grand strategy, dig into pre-readings that set the stage, and engage in a rich dialogue with peers who share your interest in thinking big about the future of American foreign policy. This program, held in conjunction with the Notre Dame International Security Center, is in its third year.

We will have a keynote address from Rajan Menon, director of grand strategy at Defense Priorities, on humanitarian interventionism. Participants will prepare for this by reading The Conceit of Humanitarian Intervention, Menon’s provocative 2016 critique of the concept.

You are eligible to apply for MGSS if you are a student at a U.S. university or are in the first two years of your U.S. foreign policy career.

The Foreign Policy Leadership Development Program

Learn from the minds reshaping today’s debates about U.S. foreign policy. Network with professionals from a diverse, cross-partisan array of Washington institutions. Take part in interactive learning activities like debates and crisis simulations. Meet peers from around the country who share your interests and your desire for a smarter U.S. foreign policy. Join us July 19-21.

The Foreign Policy Leadership Development Program (FPLDP) is the John Quincy Adams Society’s summer conference for undergraduate students. You are eligible to apply for the FPLDP if you will be a student at a U.S. university in Fall 2023. Students involved with chapters of the John Quincy Adams Society will have priority. This program is in its sixth year.

We will have a keynote address tied to the conflict in Ukraine by Rajan Menon, who has made multiple trips to the embattled nation since the Russian invasion last February.

Confirmed speakers include:

  • Emma Ashford, senior fellow studying Russia, Europe, and the Middle East at the Stimson Center
  • Heather Brandon-Smith, legislative director for militarism and human rights at the Friends Committee on National Legislation
  • Ben Freeman, research fellow on foreign influence on U.S. politics at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
  • Julia Gledhill, analyst at the Center for Defense Information at the Project on Government Oversight and former JQA Society chapter leader
  • Eric Gomez, senior fellow studying the U.S. military budget and force posture, as well as arms control and nuclear stability issues in East Asia, at the Cato Institute
  • Justin Logan, Director of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute
  • Sumantra Maitra, senior editor at the American Conservative
  • Rajan Menon, author of several works on U.S. foreign policy and Eastern Europe and director of the grand strategy program at Defense Priorities
  • John Ramming Chappell, advocacy and legal fellow at the Center for Civilians in Conflict and a former JQA Society Marcellus Policy Fellow

More speakers will be announced.

Application

Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis; apply as soon as you can. We will not accept new applications after May 9.

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