Full Schedule
The conference schedule presented below is current as of September 29, 2009. We will continue to update this schedule as we confirm additional locations and speakers. Remember to register today.
OCTOBER 2, 2009
Registration will begin at 4pm on Friday afternoon in the East Atrium at Georgetown Law School's McDonough Hall, Room 200. There will be no formal dinner, but it is expected that attendees will this as a travel day will meet and dine informally.
7:00 pm – Roundtable: Peace Advocacy and Defense Reform: An Oxymoron or a Necessity? Panelists: Phyllis Bennis, Geoff Millard, Elaine Brower, Kevin Zeese, Jeremy Scahill
This will be a discussion about the how or if veterans organizations, peace organizations, and pro-democracy advocates can work together to develop a realistic agenda for national defense reform.
OCTOBER 3, 2009
8:30 am – Registration, coffee and tea, bagels and pastries. West Atrium, McDonough Hall Room 202.
9:00 – 9:45 am – Welcome and keynote remarks: Dr. Morton Halperin, Senior Advisor to the Open Society Institute, veteran of Johnson, Nixon, and Clinton administrations, expert on national security and civil liberties.
10:00 – 11:00 am – Panel I - War Powers and the States. Panelists: State Rep. Michael Fisher (VT), State Sen. Rich Madaleno (MD), State Sen. Jamin Raskin (MD)
11:15 – Noon – Keynote remarks: Jeremy Scahill, author, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Noon – Lunch on your own at area restaurants, or through pre-paid brownbag lunches. Orders for lunches will be taken at registration until 9:45am this morning.
1:30 – 3:00 pm - Panel II - War Powers Principles: Constitution, Laws, and the Will of the People. Room 205. Panelists: Elaine Brower (moderator), Leah Bolger, Ben Manski, Benson Scotch, David Swanson
- The Constitution: The roles of Congress, the President, the courts, and the States under the Constitution, from the perspectives of the Revolution, the Founders, and on.
- The Laws: The creation of a standing army; federalization of the state militias; creation of the modern Defense Department and the rise of the “military-industrial complex,” including increased use of private military companies; mutual defense treaties and non-treaty military obligations.
- The Will of the People: Popular understandings and beliefs about U.S. defense policy, the role of the Guard, the responsibilities of the states, and the allocation of war powers.
3:15 – 4:45 – Panel III – War Powers in Practice. Panelists: Jean Athey (moderator), John Bonifaz, Caleb Rossiter, Don Wallace
- How have Presidents, Congress, and the Courts interpreted and applied the Constitution’s war powers clauses?
- How has the principle of checks and balances enumerated in the Constitution’s war powers clauses been applied or been defeated?
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What are the ways in which Congress has sought to exercise its war powers to control, limit, or promote the use of military force? How have laws like the War Powers Act been applied (or not), and with what results?
5:00 – 6:00 – Discussions & Proposal(s)
Facilitated discussion, moderated by State Rep. Michael Fisher, of the questions raised earlier in the day:
- War Powers and Congress: Legislation, existing and future; authorizations for the use of force; appropriations for the use of force in ongoing actions.
- The Guard: Revisiting the role of the states and the use of the National Guards.
- Composition, structure, and role of military forces in the United States: Reviving the discussion.
- Citizen participation in peace and war policies and decisions.
- Rethinking Empire, force projection, and the more than 1000 U.S. military bases located outside of the United States.
Organizers will recommend that statements of principles be adopted by the Conference by motion, with adequate detail but in summary form. These statements can be cited in post-conference minutes or media releases. Organizers further recommend that teams of participants working via electronic means during the month after the Conference draft and submit faithful but more comprehensive statements. These will become final versions if approved by a majority of conference participants willing to review and vote on each proposal via email. Statements so approved will be forwarded to interested parties in civil society, the media, and government for consideration, endorsement, and action.
6:00 – 6:15 - Final announcements, thanks, evaluation sheets.
6:30 – New Location: Post-conference reception at Busboys & Poets (5th and K location)
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Georgetown Law School, October 2-3, 2009
This engaging event gathered activists and academics, public officials and veterans, lawyers and military families. We used facilitated discussions, panel presentations, and workshops to accomplish two goals. First, to educate ourselves and each other about the issues involved, the state of the law, and alternatives. Second, to develop a statement of common principles leading to a more democratic, comprehensive, and durable national defense policy — one that will honor the Constitution and help keep the United States from entering into unnecessary wars.
For more information on the topics addressed at this conference, please see our background and the full schedule.
Please Contribute
Please contribute to help defray our organizing costs. Thank you very much!
