Protecting Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law in the Age of Terrorism

To see more videos from the conference, please click the playlist button in the upper left side of the video player. In addition, here is more information from the interviews with Jeffery Khan and William Pomeranz.

Cosponsored by the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, the Wilson Center’s Rule of Law Initiative, the Kennan Institute, and the Middle East Program

Terrorism has already revealed itself to be the scourge of the early 21st century. In countries threatened by terrorism, the rule of law serves as the primary defense against excessive state actions, yet upholding due process and other fundamental civil liberties represents a growing challenge as the terror attacks continue. The U.S. and other established democracies are struggling to find the appropriate balance between the rule of law, open borders, and national security. Alternatively, other leaders have used the issue of fighting terrorism as a means to consolidate their political power while often setting aside basic rule of law principles.

The Wilson Center, in cooperation with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, will host a half-day conference that addresses the rule of law challenges associated with the fight against terrorism, looking specifically at developments in the U.S., EU, Russia, and Turkey. The conference further will explore what the balance between civil liberties and anti-terrorism legislation should look like going forward.

Agenda

8:45 – 9:00: Registration and Coffee

9:00 – 9:15: Opening Remarks, John Hempelmann, President, Henry M. Jackson Foundation

Panel 1: 9:15 – 10:45: Law, Liberty, and Security in the United States

Jeffrey Kahn, Professor of Law, SMU,

Robyn Greene, Policy Counsel and Government Affairs Lead, Open Technology Institute, New America    

Jennifer Daskal, Associate Professor of Law, American University

Moderator: Lara Iglitzin, Executive Director, Henry M. Jackson Foundation

10:45 – 11:00 Break

Panel 2: 11:00 – 12:30: International Strategies for Balancing Civil Liberty and Security

Maria Kravchenko, Director, SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, Moscow, Russia

Henri Barkey, Director, Middle East Program, Wilson Center

Melissa Hooper, Director of Human Rights and Civil Society, Human Rights First         

Moderator: William Pomeranz, Deputy Director, Kennan Institute 

Keynote Address: 12:30 – 1:45  

Rosa Brooks, Professor of Law, Georgetown University

Please see the conference report below: