John F. Kennedy's "A Strategy for Peace" 60 Years Later
ARA PACIS AUDITORIUM, Rome, June 9, 2023 | 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM CEST

The last major campaign in the life of American President John F. Kennedy was not for his reelection, but rather the fight for a sustainable peace with the Soviet Union.

This event celebrated the 60th anniversary of JFK's speech on June 10,1963, titled "A Strategy for Peace." In that speech, the commencement address at American University, Kennedy drew upon statesmanship, moral insight, and astounding eloquence to establish more peaceful relations with the Soviet Union and to limit the nuclear arms race.

Determined to steer the world in a peaceful direction following the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy delivered a series of speeches in the summer of 1963 in which he rejected the momentum of the Cold War and sought to convince his fellow Americans, and the world, that peace between the US and the Soviet Union was possible. He joined with his counterpart, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, in a historic quest for peace.

JFK drew on prodigious diplomatic and political skills in addition to great eloquence, thereby helping the public and world leaders to understand that peace was both realistic and achievable, even at the height of the Cold War. The invited speakers addressed various dimensions of JFK's Quest for Peace, analyzing it from the historical, political, cultural, and personal perspectives. The conference offered the audience a fresh perspective on the Kennedy presidency as a model of bold moral leadership and practical problem-solving that can be applied to our present-day challenges and urgent need for peace. An approach that can be fruitful again in our times.

This event was organized by SDSN, Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, and the Community of Sant'Egidio, with the support of Pensare Insieme, Ms. Betsee Parker, and the Giuseppe e Pericle Lavazza Foundation.