Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

Location: The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

In his newest book, Natan Sharansky takes on those who see identity as a foe of freedom. The man who gave us a moving memoir of his life in the Gulag (Fear No Evil) and wrote a treatise most recently on foreign policy (The Case for Democracy) explains why identity is freedom’s greatest ally in the struggle against tyranny.

For Sharansky, the free world’s shield is its own identity, vigorously asserted and framed by a commitment to democratic life. Not all cultures are the same. Not all values are equivalent. Democracy and freedom are worth fighting for, and, if necessary, worth dying for. As Sharansky writes, the enemy’s will is strong because his identity is strong. And we must match his strength of purpose with strong identities of our own. With moral clarity, analytical precision, and light-hearted wit, Sharansky draws on his unique experience to offer an unapologetic defense of the power of identity. He asserts that when framed by democracy, strong identities enrich our lives and enable us to defend the values we most deeply cherish.

Natan Sharansky, former Soviet dissident and political prisoner as well as a member of the Israeli cabinet in four successive governments, is currently Chairman of the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies in Jerusalem. He received the Congressional Gold Medal, and in 2006 America’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Books will be available for purchase and to be signed by the Author.