Overview

The World Leaders Symposium series continues with an examination of the reconfigured former Soviet states and the complex relationships between these newly independent nations, Russia, and the United States. Here is your chance to engage and interact with prominent figures in U.S. international policy aboard the luxurious all-suite Silver Wind, traveling from Moscow, Russia to Georgia, the Ukraine, and ending in Istanbul, Turkey. A highlight of all World Leaders symposiums is the powerful and unforgettable contribution of speakers and special guests. This symposium features former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of Defense William Perry, and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, plus an impressive team of experts on U.S.-Russia relations, global energy security concerns, and nuclear non-proliferation.





Each World Leaders Symposium is designed to provide genuine insight into complex and deeply rooted global issues. That awareness and understanding comes from interactions with travelers from America’s leading academic, cultural, and research institutions; while exploring important context and on-theground realities with locals; and from personal insights revealed during off-the-record conversations with experts and scholars. During informal lectures with scholars, compelling panel discussions, and private meetings with world leaders and distinguished dignitaries, explore such topics as Russia’s evolving relationship with the West, nuclear weapons policy, and the importance of mineral and energy resources in the Caucasus. Participants on the 2010 World Leaders symposium may choose to visit a once formidable but now dismantled nuclear weapons site in Ukraine, a formerly secret Soviet submarine base on the Black Sea, a Crimean palace where the post–World War II map of Europe was redrawn, and one of the largest oil and gas facilities in the world in Azerbaijan. Experience behind-the-scenes access paired with an educational program that offers unparalleled insight, and specially arranged performances and gala events. In addition, as the privately chartered all-suite Silver Wind cruises along the scenic Black Sea coastline, you’ll enjoy the gracious amenities and fine service of one of the highest-rated luxury ships afloat.