Debate and Decision Series

Co-hosted by the McCain Institute and Intelligence Squared-U.S., “Spy On Me, I’d Rather Be Safe” discusses the complex choices facing our nation concerning government surveillance, personal privacy, and public security. Panelists include Stewart Baker, former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security; David Cole, Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center; Richard Falkenrath, Principal at the Chertoff Group and former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor; and Michael German, Senior Policy Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan serves as moderator. This event originally took place on November 20th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

Co-hosted by the McCain Institute and Intelligence Squared-U.S., “Spy On Me, I’d Rather Be Safe” discusses the complex choices facing our nation concerning government surveillance, personal privacy, and public security. Panelists include Stewart Baker, former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security; David Cole, Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center; Richard Falkenrath, Principal at the Chertoff Group and former Deputy Homeland Security Advisor; and Michael German, Senior Policy Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan serves as moderator. This event originally took place on November 20th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

The McCain Institute hosts “Afghanistan 2014: Should We Stay or Should We Go?” The debate features Fred Kagan, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; Seth G. Jones, Associate Director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation; Steve Clemons, Washington Editor-at-Large for The Atlantic; and Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. Fox New’s Jenna Lee moderates. This event originally took place on February 28th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

The McCain Institute hosts “Should the United States Save Syria?” The distinguished panel features Mr. Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Mr. Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor of the New Republic, Dr. Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, and Mr. Aaron David Miller, a Distinguished Scholar at the Wilson Center. The debate is moderated by CNN’s Elise Labott and originally took place on January 30th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

The McCain Institute hosts “Afghanistan 2014: Should We Stay or Should We Go?” The debate features Fred Kagan, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute; Seth G. Jones, Associate Director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation; Steve Clemons, Washington Editor-at-Large for The Atlantic; and Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. Fox New’s Jenna Lee moderates. This event originally took place on February 28th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

As critical negotiations between the U.S. and Iran get underway, the McCain Institute hosts “Iran: Are We Out of Options?” The debate features former U.S. Congressman Robert Wexler; former Under Secretary of State Thomas R. Pickering; former Ambassador James F. Dobbins; and American Enterprise Institute Vice President Danielle Pletka. Foreign Policy Magazine’s Susan Glasser moderates. This event originally took place on April 17th, 2013 in Washington, D.C.

With the debate growing over America’s lethal use of remotely piloted vehicles to deliver strikes against al Qaeda and other targets, the McCain Institute hosts “Drone Warfare: Are We Going Too Far?” The debate features Frank Kramer, Vice Chairman of the Atlantic Council Board of Directors and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; John Bellinger III, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State; Major General (Ret.) James Spider Marks, co-founder and Principal of Willowdale Services, LLC; and Daphne Eviatar, Senior Counsel in Human Rights First’s Law and Security Program; Fox News Channel political analyst Juan Williams moderates. This event originally took place on December 5th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

As critical negotiations between the U.S. and Iran get underway, the McCain Institute hosts “Iran: Are We Out of Options?” The debate features former U.S. Congressman Robert Wexler; former Under Secretary of State Thomas R. Pickering; former Ambassador James F. Dobbins; and American Enterprise Institute Vice President Danielle Pletka. Foreign Policy Magazine’s Susan Glasser moderates. This event originally took place on April 17th, 2013 in Washington, D.C.

With the debate growing over America’s lethal use of remotely piloted vehicles to deliver strikes against al Qaeda and other targets, the McCain Institute hosts “Drone Warfare: Are We Going Too Far?” The debate features Frank Kramer, Vice Chairman of the Atlantic Council Board of Directors and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs; John Bellinger III, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State; Major General (Ret.) James Spider Marks, co-founder and Principal of Willowdale Services, LLC; and Daphne Eviatar, Senior Counsel in Human Rights First’s Law and Security Program; Fox News Channel political analyst Juan Williams moderates. This event originally took place on December 5th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

The McCain Institute hosts “Should the United States Save Syria?” The distinguished panel features Mr. Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Mr. Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor of the New Republic, Dr. Joshua Landis, Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, and Mr. Aaron David Miller, a Distinguished Scholar at the Wilson Center. The debate is moderated by CNN’s Elise Labott and originally took place on January 30th, 2013 in Washington, DC.

With the stability of Egypt remaining very much in doubt, the McCain Institute hosts “Egypt: Is the Military the Answer?” a panel to debate the role of the military in crafting a long-term and viable political future for the country. The debate features Jackson Diehl, Deputy Editorial Page Editor of The Washington Post; Michele Dunne, Vice President and Director of the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East; William Kristol, founder of The Weekly Standard; and Anthony Cordesman, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS; Fox News Channel political analyst Juan Williams moderates. This event originally took place on September 24th, 2013 in Washington, DC.