Combating Terrorism: Charting the Course for a New Administration

April 10-11, 2008

Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

To view streaming videos (requires RealPlayer download) of the Conference sessions: click the Conference Program link to the right, scroll through the Program, and click on the title of the session you want to view (pops up in a new window).

Sponsored by:

      all of Duke University School of Law

with the generous support of

  • Duke University's Vice Provost for International Affairs and Development
  • Center for International Business Education & Research
  • Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy
  • Warren and Faye Wickersham

All panel sessions will be held in Geneen Auditorium in the Fuqua School of Business; all meals will be in the Thomas Center

The national election is just months away and, regardless of which party wins, there will be a new administration in the White House and perhaps shifts in the balance of political power on Capitol Hill. Should that new administration move away from the Bush administration strategy for combating terrorism both here and abroad, or should it keep the one used for the last several years? In charting the course for a new administration, many different aspects of national power must be considered, from the traditional use of military force as in Iraq and Afghanistan, to acquiring intelligence, and even to shaping our foreign policy to ensure maximum protection against further terrorist attacks in this country or against our interests overseas. Through a series of panel discussions, the conference will examine a number of specific issues with regard to shaping our counterterrorism policy for the next four years and beyond: the accountability of military contractors accompanying military forces on the battlefield; proposals for reform of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; the international component of combating terrorism, including formulation of our foreign policy and how we can best ensure integrated global cooperation; the problems in successfully prosecuting terrorism cases in our federal courts and the very controversial use of extraordinary rendition; and, the ethical considerations in rendering legal advice to policymakers in the war on terrorism. Three keynote addresses during the conference will focus on specific, current issues within the overall context of combating terrorism. The conference brings together a prestigious group of scholars, policymakers, and commentators who will take an interdisciplinary approach to all these issues from both a legal and a policy perspective.

Download the Announcement from Prof. Silliman (pdf)