The Midterms That Could Make or Break NATO

In-Person
Panel
A panel of transatlantic security experts moderated by Leslie Vinjamuri discuss the upcoming US midterms and how they could shape NATO at this Warsaw Security Forum side event.
NATO Symbol and Flags
Oct
12
Olivier Matthys / AP
Speakers
Julianne Smith
Evelyn Farkas
Majda Ruge
Róbert Vass
Leslie Vinjamuri
Date and Time
Location
Warsaw Security Forum
Who Can Attend

REGISTRATION

This event is invitation-only. Invites are non-transferable. For more information, reach out to jbrzeski@globalaffairs.org.

About This Event

On November 3, 2026, Americans will vote in midterm elections that will not only define President Trump's last two years in office, but also impact the NATO alliance. This Night Owl session event at the Warsaw Security Forum will consider how the election results might reshape American foreign policy, from its transatlantic posture to support for Ukraine and a resolution to the Iran War. In a conversation moderated by Leslie Vinjamuri, Julianne Smith and Evelyn Farkas provide the US perspective while Majda Ruge and Róbert Vass describe the view from Europe as they discuss how the midterms will affect the world at large.

This side event will take place at the Warsaw Security Forum, in-person only, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. CET.

About the Speakers
Julianne Smith
Former US Permanent Representative to NATO; Distinguished Nonresident Fellow, Defense and Security, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Headshot for Julianne Smith
Ambassador Julianne Smith, former US permanent representative to NATO, is a national security expert with over two decades of experience in US and European defense policy and transatlantic relations. She's held leadership positions at the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State. Smith joined the Council in 2025 as distinguished nonresident fellow, defense and security.
Headshot for Julianne Smith
Evelyn Farkas
Executive Director, McCain Institute
EF Headshot
Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas has three decades of experience working on national security and foreign policy in the U.S. executive, legislative branch, private sector and for international organizations overseas. She is currently the executive director of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University. Prior to that, she was president of Farkas Global Strategies and a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Atlantic Council and national security contributor for NBC/MSNBC.
EF Headshot
Majda Ruge
Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations
MR Headshot
Majda Ruge is a senior policy fellow with the United States programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations, based in Berlin. Before joining ECFR, she spent three years as a fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute/SAIS at the Johns Hopkins University. She has twice testified as an expert witness at hearings of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Western Balkans.
MR Headshot
Róbert Vass
Founder and President, GLOBSEC
RV Headshot
Róbert Vass is a founder and President of GLOBSEC, an action-oriented policy institution born in Central Europe. GLOBSEC is an independent, non-partisan, non-governmental organization dedicated to enhancing security, prosperity, and sustainability in Europe and the world. Róbert currently manages an international team of more than 80 people composed of 12 different nationalities with the headquarters in Bratislava and offices in Brussels, Prague, Vienna, Kyiv and Washington.
RV Headshot
Leslie Vinjamuri
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot
Attend In-Person Invitation-only
Issues US Foreign Policy
Regions Europe
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