This September will mark a quarter-century since 9/11 and the inauguration of the “war on terror.” Many of us will be reflecting on the meaning of those events and on the profound impact they have had on so many lives here in the United States and around the world. At the Knight Institute, we’ll be reflecting in particular on the way those events transformed American democracy. On September 9^th and 10^th, we’ll partner with Columbia’s Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism, Harper’s Magazine, and the Columbia Daily Spectator to host a major symposium on the legacy of the war on terror for the freedoms of speech and the press.
 
When we first conceived of this symposium, we had a very clear idea of which scholars, advocates, and journalists we’d want to invite. We’re thrilled that virtually all of them have agreed to participate. The event will feature M. Gessen, Lydia Polgreen, Phil Klay, Steve Coll, Rozina Ali, Emily Tripp, Hari Kunzru, Assia Boundaoui, David Cole, Astha Sharma Pokharel, Nicole Hemmer, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Shourideh C. Molavi, Aziz Rana, Shirin Sinnar, Brett Max Kaufman, and Prem Thakker. It will also include one-on-one public interviews with, among others, Alberto Mora, who served as general counsel to the Navy under President George W. Bush, and Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was imprisoned without charge at Guantánamo Bay for 14 years. We expect to announce additional participants in the coming weeks.
 
We hope that many of you will be able to join us for this event. The symposium will take place at Columbia’s Lee C. Bollinger Forum and will run from 4:00 pm ET on September 9^th through 5:00 pm ET on September 10^th. You can register here to attend in person or to watch the livestream. We expect the event to be well-attended, so please register early.

Read more information about the event here.