The planning committee consists of Steven B. Bloomfield, Executive Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Karl Kaiser, Ralph I. Straus Visiting Professor, and Beth Simmons, Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs organizes annually a gathering of international participants in Talloires, France to address current issues in international affairs. The topics covered in the past five years include: “The Future of U.S. Foreign Policy” (2002); “The Future of the World Trade System: The U.S., the EU and the Doha Development Agenda” (2003); “Assessing the United States: Politics, Institutions, Economy, and Foreign Policy” (2004); “Transatlantic Relations at the Beginning of the Second Bush Administration: Old Problems-New Policies?” (2005); and “Beyond Bilateral Relations: The United States, Europe, and issues of Global Importance” (2006). This year, we will explore the theme of democracy in contemporary global politics.