A decade after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, many questions are still left unanswered. Are we safer than we were a decade ago? Are we “winning” the so-called “war on terror?” Has the cost of security been worth the incursions into our privacy and even our civil liberties? Was Sept. 11 a massive intelligence failure, and if so, have the intelligence reforms undertaken since made things better? Ten years after Sept. 11 and 20 years after the end of the Cold War, how do we understand and find our way in the current era of globalization?
To commemorate the tragic events of that bright September morning 10 years ago, The University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will bring together university experts from the areas of national security, terrorism, law and government for a commemorative panel discussion called “Conversation 9/11: A Decade After, Looking Forward,” that will explore these and other key issues. On Sept. 9, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. in the Avaya Auditorium on campus, panelists will assess what we have gained, what we have lost and what the stakes are as we continue to move forward from Sept. 11.
Ambassador Robert Hutchings, dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School and former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, will moderate the panel, which will include:
- Admiral Bobby R. Inman, U.S. Navy, (Ret.), Lyndon B. Johnson Chair in National Policy, former director of the National Security Agency and deputy director of Central Intelligence;
- Bobby Chesney, Charles I. Francis Professor in Law at The University of Texas at Austin School of Law and an expert on state secrets privilege and on detention and prosecution of terrorist suspects;
- Dan Bartlett, adjunct professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School and former counselor to President George W. Bush, who on the morning of Sept. 11 was traveling with the president on Air Force One;
- Ami Pedahzur, professor of government and an expert on terrorism, counter-terrorism and political extremism; and
- Susan Binford, assistant dean of communications for the Lyndon B. Johnson School and former executive vice president of communications for the CNN News Group, will offer introductory remarks.
“September 11, 2001, was a watershed event in this country and throughout the world. Now, with the passing of 10 years, it is a unique time for reflection,” said Hutchings. “We not only honor those whose lives were lost on that day, but we continue to try to understand the longer-term meaning and import of those events, even as we tackle a host of new challenges.”
Additionally, the university will offer several opportunities to commemorate the anniversary of Sept. 11.
The Avaya Auditorium is located in the Applied Computational Engineering and Sciences Building (ACES) at 201 East 24th St., Austin, Texas 78712.
