Exploring the Cost of War

About The Program

Following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the United States lead a political, military and ideological war against Islamic fundamentalist and supportive regimes. Exploring The Cost of War, At Home and Abroad is a five part lecture series that explored unforeseen cost from the war on terror. Intersections sponsored this lecture series to show the human side of the Iraq conflict and shed light on the Iraqi Refugee crisis--one of the century's most overlooked humanitarian crises.Muslims in the Media (9/25/08) focused on how the media's portrayal of Muslims post 9-11 has shifted and how it has affected the Islamic world. Panelists included Anisa Mehdi; Emmy-award winning filmmaker and media consultant, Hussein Rashid; Founder of Islamicate.com, Debbie Almontaser; former Principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, and Daisy Kahn; Executive Director of American Society for Muslim Advancement. Zeba Kahn, Strategic Initiatives Director of the List Project, moderated the conversation.

Searching for America's New Foreign Policy (10/23/08) explored the diplomatic opportunities and challenges the U.S. faces in the coming years. Panelists included Ambassador S. Azmat Hassan; former Ambassador of Pakistan to Malaysia, Syria and Morocco, Dr. Michaela Hertkorn; Director for Transatlantic Relations at the Düsseldorf Institute for Foreign and Security Policy and Professor of Security Policy at NYU; Ambassador John L. Hirsch; former Ambassador of the U.S. to Sierra Leone and Senior Advisor at the International Peace Institute, and Dr. Roy Licklider; Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University and Adjunct Research Scholar at the Saltzmn Institute for War and Peace Studies. Dalai Fazio, communications and international affairs specialist, moderated the conversation.

Voices of Iraqi Refugees (11/13/08) featured recently resettled Iraqi refugees who talked about their experiences in Iraq, new lives in the U.S., and hopes for the future of their country. Panelists included refugees whose identities have been protected but used the names Ameer, Assad and Ehab for reference. Anisa Mehdi, Emmy-award winning filmmaker and media consultant, moderated the conversation.

Addressing the Needs of Returning U.S. Veterans (1/21/09) revealed many challenges faced by returning combat soldiers and ways to help local veterans. Panelists included Luis Carlos Montalván; Co-founder of Iraq Veterans Refugee Aid Association, Andrew S. Roberts; Veteran Membership Associate from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and Wendy McClinton; Executive Vice President of Black Veterans for Social Justice. U.S. Army Captain Daniel Keenaghan moderated the conversation.

After the Surge: Ethical Exit Strategies from Iraq (4/29/09) focused on American strategies of withdrawing from Iraq while fulfilling its political, military and humanitarian obligations. Panelists included Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider; Professor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Ambassador of the U.S. to the Netherlands, Colonel Michael J. Meese; Head of Social Sciences Department at the U.S. Military Academy and former Senior Advisor to the Commander of Multinational Force-Iraq, and Kirk W. Johnson; Founder and Director of The List Project to Resettle Iraqi Allies. Damian Bednarz, an international affairs specialist, moderated this conversation.

To learn more about the Iraqi Refugee crisis, visit http://iraqivoices.intersectionsinternational.org.