Foundation for the Defense of Democracies to Hold Conference on "Iraq's Future and the War on Terrorism" on June 16 6/15/2004
From: Bill McCarthy, 202-207-0190 for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies News Advisory: -- Foundation for the Defense of Democracies to Hold Conference on "Iraq's Future and the War on Terrorism" on June 16 -- Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) to keynote conference featuring policy experts, former military officials, and Iraqi political leaders EDITORS: Please note updated agenda On Wednesday, June 16, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies will hold a full-day conference focusing on Iraq's future after the June 30 transfer of power and what success or failure in Iraq will mean to the broader War on Terrorism. The conference will feature keynote remarks by Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and four panel discussions with experts on Iraq and the Middle East, former military officers with knowledge of the region and the Iraq operation, and leading Iraqi political leaders. The first panel, "The Terrorists' War Against Iraqi Democracy," will assess the Iraq liberation in the context of a post 9/11 world, and in particular how the operations in Iraq are affecting the war against terrorism. The second panel, "Iraq's Future: How We Succeed Politically," will examine how the U.S. can manage a successful transition of power in Iraq and help build a stable, democratic Iraqi government. The third panel, "Iraq's Future: How We Succeed Militarily," will discuss the military strategies and resources needed to help Iraq achieve stability and security. The fourth panel, "The Iraqi Perspective," will provide an Iraqi view on the transition of power and the prospects for a democratic Iraq. The conference is sponsored by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (http://www.defenddemocracy.org). It will be held at the Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Media planning on covering the conference should register with Bill McCarthy of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies at 202-207-0190. AGENDA -- 8 to 8:30 8:30 to 9 -- Registration OPENING REMARKS -- Cliff May, President of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies KEYNOTE ADDRESS -- Rend el-Rahim, Iraq's Representative in the United States, Ambassador Designate. 9 to 10:15 -- PANEL 1: THE TERRORISTS' WAR AGAINST IRAQI DEMOCRACY -- Stephen Hayes, The Weekly Standard staff writer, author of The Connection: How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America. -- Lt. General Thomas G. McInerney, Fox News military analyst and co-author of "Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror." -- Jonathan Schanzer, Soref fellow at The Washington Institute, expert in radical Islamic movements; author of forthcoming book on al-Qaeda's affiliates. -- Cliff May (Moderator) 10:15 to 10:30 -- Break 10:30 to 11:45 -- PANEL 2: IRAQ'S FUTURE: HOW WE SUCCEED POLITICALLY -- Christopher Hitchens, Columnist and contributing editor at Vanity Fair and The Atlantic Monthly. -- William Kristol, Editor, the Weekly Standard; co-author of The War Over Iraq. -- Michael Rubin, Resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; recently returned from Iraq where he worked with the Coalition Provisional Authority. -- Ambassador Mark Ginsberg (Moderator), Former US Ambassador to Morocco and Special Advisor for Mediterranean Security and Trade Policy; on Board of Advisors of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. 11:45 to 1:15 -- Lunch KEYNOTE SPEAKER -- Senator Lieberman 1:15 to 2:15 -- PANEL 3: IRAQ'S FUTURE: HOW WE SUCCEED MILITARILY -- Michael O'Hanlon, Senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. -- Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters, Author of Beyond Baghdad and Beyond Terror, strategist and retired Army officer. -- Andrew Apostolou (Moderator), Vice-President of Research, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. 2:15 to 2:30 -- Break 2:30 to 3:30 -- PANEL 4: THE IRAQI PERSPECTIVE -- Ghassan Attiya, Iraq Foundation for Freedom and Democracy. -- Karim Khutar, US Representative for the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. -- Entifadh Qanbar, US Representative for the Iraqi National Congress. -- Qubad Talabany, US Representative for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. -- Eleana Gordon (Moderator), Vice-President of Democracy Programs, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. 3:30 to 3:45 -- Closing Remarks |