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The Price of War: Economic Security and Freedom - Tripartite Resilience: National Security, Critical Infrastructure, and Financial Systems

21 November, 2025

The CERGE-EI Foundation's Price of War Symposium returned to Westminster, London, on November 20. The symposium featured a rich program of panels and keynotes exploring the economic, technological, and political dimensions of contemporary conflict.

This year’s theme, Economic Security and Freedom - Tripartite Resilience: National Security, Critical Infrastructure, and Financial Systems, reflects the urgency of strengthening democratic resilience across multiple fronts, from safeguarding financial systems to protecting critical infrastructure and navigating global economic pressures.

As geopolitical tensions rise and democracies confront complex new forms of vulnerability, the 2025 edition of The Price of War Symposium brought a distinguished group of leaders, strategists, economists, and policymakers together. Several panels were chaired by the BBC's Justin Webb. Among the headline participants was General David Petraeus, former CIA Director and Partner at KKR, who joined a keynote panel examining the rapidly shifting strategic environment and its implications for global security.

Panels addressed the economic security needs of democracies; the role of public and private capital in strengthening defense and security; European leadership in 2025, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe; the resilience of digital, energy, and supply-chain infrastructures; and the evolving dynamics of China’s global geostrategic engagement.

This year, the event once again underscores a key message: the cost of inaction is often higher than the cost of preparedness.

At the edge of The Price of War Symposium, CERGE-EI alumni came together to exchange ideas and reconnect. The gathering underscored the lasting strength of the CERGE-EI network across sectors and countries.