The Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI) is a nonprofit that exposes and provides analyses of authoritarian groups and advises governments, businesses, media, and citizens on how to maintain their democracies. RDI opposes Vladamir Putin’s Russia, the Chinese Communist Party, terrorist groups in the Middle East, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and other authoritarians around the world. RDI asserts, “We believe that Russia is at the heart of the international consortium of dictators.” ¹

RDI claims to be nonpartisan, but opposes President Donald Trump, often comparing him to dictators like Putin and suggesting that his policies “hurt our friends and vindicate our enemies.” ² RDI’s projects include an annual conference called Frontlines of Freedom, an annual gala called Heroes for Democracy, and various smaller community events throughout the United States. ¹

Projects

Frontlines of Freedom

Frontlines of Freedom is a network that brings together dissidents from over 40 countries to “reveal the dangerous influence of authoritarians, demonstrate how these dictators are collaborating, and…remind those of us living in the Free World how inspirational our democracies truly are and how important they are to defend.” ³ Frontlines of Freedom partnered with CNN  to create the “Voices of Freedom” a docuseries which lets dissidents from countries like Russia, China, and Iran discuss their lives living under dictatorships. ⁴

Heroes of Democracy

Heroes of Democracy is an annual gala at which Renew Democracy Initiative “celebrates remarkable individuals who defended freedom at great personal risk.” ¹ RDI has honored former prime minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas for opposing Russia; Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two election workers in the U.S. state of Georgia who sued a Missouri media outlet for saying they manipulated ballots in Georgia; and Paul Rusesabagina, a Rwandan hotel manager who housed over 1200 refugees during the Rwandan Genocide in in 1994. ⁵

Staff

Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov, who was born in the Soviet Union in 1963, is chairman of Renew Democracy Initiative. He became internationally famous in 1985 when he won the world chess championship at the age of 22. Later, Kasparov became “one of the first prominent Soviets to call for democratic and market reforms [in the USSR] and was an early supporter of Boris Yeltsin’s push to break up the Soviet Union.” ⁶

In 1984, he joined the Communist Party in Russia and in 1990 he left the party to create the Democratic Party of Russia. In 2005, Kasparov created the United Civil Front, a social movement in Russia that advocates for electoral democracy and opposes Vladimir Putin. ⁷ He also joined The Other Russia, a coalition of parties opposed to Putin. In 2012, Kasparov was named the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation and still holds that position today. Kasparov moved to New York in 2013 to escape Putin’s crackdown on his opponents. ⁶

Linda Chavez

Linda Chavez is vice chair of RDI. Chavez stated that she grew up with left-of-center political views but joined the GOP during the Reagan administration. In 2021, feeling she could not associate with the party anymore, Chavez left the GOP and became an independent, stating she “sees herself as too conservative for the Democratic Party.” ⁸

She wrote a memoir titled An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal. In 1985, Chavez worked as White House Director for Public Liaison, in 1986 she ran for U.S. Senate in Maryland, and in 1992 she worked for the United Nations‘ Human Rights Commission. In addition to creating the Becoming American Initiative and the Center for Equal Opportunity, ⁹ Chavez currently serves on the board of ABM Industries a $6.5 billion engineering and infrastructure company. ¹⁰ She was most notable for being an unsuccessful nominee for United States Secretary of Labor in the George W. Bush administration. ¹¹

1. “About Us.” RDI. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://rdi.org/about-us/#advocacy.
2. Mewada, Sohan, and Christopher Schaefer. “The Danger of a New Manifest Destiny.” RDI, January 23, 2025. https://rdi.org/articles/the-danger-of-a-new-manifest-destiny/.
3. “Frontlines of Freedom.” RDI. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://rdi.org/frontlines-of-freedom/.
4. Fredrick, Yaffa. “Voices of Freedom.” CNN. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/specials/opinions/voices-of-freedom.
5. “2024 Heroes of Democracy Gala.” RDI, 2024. https://rdi.org/event/2024-heroes-of-democracy-gala/.
6. “Biography.” Kasparov. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.kasparov.com/biography/.
7. “Garry Kasparov.” Europarl, 2007. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/dv/afet24052007_cvkasparov_/afet24052007_cvkasparov_en.pdf.
8. “Why I Left the GOP, with Linda Chavez .” Niskanen Center, March 3, 2021. https://www.niskanencenter.org/why-i-left-the-gop-with-linda-chavez/.
9. “About Us: Linda Chavez, Director.” Becoming American Initiative. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://www.becomingamericaninitiative.org/about-us/.
10. “Linda Chavez – Director at ABM Industries.” THE ORG. Accessed January 27, 2025. https://theorg.com/org/abm-industries/org-chart/linda-chavez.
11. “Linda Chavez Withdraws Name as Secretary of Labor.” NPR, January 10, 2001. https://www.npr.org/2001/01/10/1116824/linda-chavez-withdraws-name-as-secretary-of-labor.