Riga Security Forum 2027 - World on the Tightrope

The world is on a tightrope. The future of security is up for debate. At the edge of Europe, where security is tested in real time, Riga becomes a stage for the world's most pressing security debates. On 15 January 2027, Riga Security Forum brings together global leaders, policymakers, and security experts for bold Oxford-style debates on the future of Europe and transatlantic security. Challenge perspectives. Meet decision-makers. Be part of the conversation.

Forum participants

Meet and connect in person with global leaders, security experts, and influential thinkers shaping the future of European and transatlantic security.

Mark T. Esper

Former United States Secretary of Defense (2019-2020) and former Secretary of the U.S. Army.

George Robertson

Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Former NATO Secretary General (1999-2004) and former United Kingdom Secretary of State for Defence.

Sauli Niinistö

Former President of Finland (2012-2024) and experienced leader in European security and foreign policy.

Viesturs Kleinbergs

Mayor of Riga and Chairman of the Riga City Council.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi

Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2021-2024).

Ben Hodges

Former Commanding General of the United States Army Europe (2014-2017) and expert on NATO and European security.

Nicu Popescu

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova (2021-2024).

Camille Grand

Secretary General of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD).

Emma Ashford

Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center, specializing in U.S. foreign policy, grand strategy, and international security.

Sahana Udupa

Professor of Media Anthropology at LMU Munich, specializing in artificial intelligence, digital politics, and online discourse.

About the Riga Security Forum 

The Riga Security Forum 2027 convenes at a moment of profound geopolitical uncertainty, positioning itself as a critical platform in Northern Europe - a region where the future of the West is not only debated, but actively shaped and tested. Russia’s war against Ukraine, instability across the Middle East, intensifying US-China rivalry, and the disruptive rise of artificial intelligence are not distant dynamics anymore, they intersect most directly in the Baltic and Nordic trajectories, where questions of deterrence, resilience, and democratic endurance are being played out in real time. This puts our world on a tightrope - balancing peace with escalation, economic openness with strategic protection, and technological progress with human agency.

Riga Security Forum stands as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the Northern Europe region - challenging conventional formats and elevating strategic debate by forcing competing ideas into direct, structured confrontation.

The Forum will bring together a select group of senior decision-makers, strategists, economists, defence and military-industry leaders, and leading public intellectuals. It is designed not for visibility, but for substance - creating a high-trust environment for candid exchange, strategic reflection, and intellectual confrontation at the highest level. At its core are Oxford-style debates that place competing worldviews in direct opposition. These exchanges confront the defining questions shaping Europe and the transatlantic space - from the future of Europe’s economic and industrial model, to societal resilience, technological disruption, and the evolving nature of power and governance. The Forum will also address Europe’s central strategic dilemmas: its defence posture, the future of the transatlantic relationship, its capacity for geopolitical action, and the viability of a rules-based international order in an era increasingly defined by power politics.

Held in Riga, Latvia, on NATO’s eastern frontier, the Forum takes place in a context where questions of security, sovereignty, and deterrence are immediate and consequential. Here, the future of the West is not an abstraction, but a strategic reality being contested in real time.


About the Organizers

The Forum is jointly organized by the Analytics and Advisory Group “PowerHouse Latvia” and Latvian Institute of International Affairs.

Latvian Institute of International Affairs

The Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) is one of Latvia’s leading think tanks, dedicated to the study and analysis of international politics, security, and economic developments. Through research, publications, and public engagement, LIIA contributes to informed policymaking and fosters dialogue on key global and regional issues.

PowerHouse Latvia

The Analytics and Advisory Group “PowerHouse Latvia” specializes in geopolitical and strategic risk analysis. It works with public institutions, the financial sector, and international partners, providing data-driven analysis, risk assessments, and strategic advisory services. Its work is designed to help organizations identify risks early and make well-informed decisions in conditions of heightened uncertainty.


 Project Partners

Riga Security Forum 2027 brings together a network of strategic partners committed to advancing informed debate, strengthening international cooperation, and shaping the future of European security.  Together, we foster meaningful dialogue across government, business, academia, and civil society, connecting geopolitical challenges with entrepreneurship and the decisions that will shape our collective future.