Dear John,
Last week, we hosted NIAC's 2024 Post-Election Symposium [[link removed]] , where experts, leaders, and advocates gathered in the nation's capital to unpack the results of the pivotal elections and what another Trump term means for peace, democracy, and civil rights.
While this event has since concluded, it is critical that we still continue the conversations held that day as a key touchpoint to inform and mobilize ourselves for the challenges that lie ahead.
With over 100 attendees and over 3,000 tuning in online, these discussions – ranging from the election results to diplomacy with Iran to disinformation campaigns to another Muslim Ban and more – allowed us to assess priorities, review lessons learned, and set the stage for the next four years.
If you were unable to join in person or virtually, each of the sessions can be viewed online and are summarized in the articles below.
- Jamal Abdi
President, NIAC
[[link removed]]
What Just Happened?: Assessing the 2024 Election Results and the Path Ahead [[link removed]]
www.niacouncil.org/news/panel-recap-what-just-happened-assessing-the-2024-election-results-and-the-path-ahead/ [www.niacouncil.org/news/panel-recap-what-just-happened-assessing-the-2024-election-results-and-the-path-ahead/] Pictured above: Mitra Jalali - St. Paul City Council President; Lauren Maunus -Political Director of IfNotNow Movement; Yasmine Taeb - Political Director for MPower Change Action Fund; Tariq Habash - Biden Administration Political Appointee Resignee; Abed Ayoub - National Executive Director of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee
"I think what Americans saw time and time again was an administration that was saying big things and was not delivering on those big things. You can’t say for 13 months that you’re working tirelessly on the ceasefire resolution and then never achieving that ceasefire.”
- Tariq Habash , who resigned from the Biden administration in protest of U.S. support for the Israeli war on Gaza.
This panel explored key determinants of Trump’s victory – from the U.S. approach to war in the Middle East as consequential voter issue to the impact of efforts by the hardline pro-Israel lobby to defeat candidates critical of the war in Gaza.
Read more and watch here [[link removed]] .
Diplomacy is Not a Dirty Word: The U.S., Iran and the Middle East [[link removed]]
www.niacouncil.org/news/panel-recap-diplomacy-is-not-a-dirty-word-the-u-s-iran-and-the-middle-east/ [www.niacouncil.org/news/panel-recap-diplomacy-is-not-a-dirty-word-the-u-s-iran-and-the-middle-east/]
Pictured above: Negar Mortazavi , Moderator- Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy and Host of the Iran Podcast; Dr. Steven Simon - Distinguished Fellow at Dartmouth College and Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute; Lara Friedman - President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace; Dr. Nader Hashemi - Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at Georgetown University; Dr. Jon Hoffman - Research Fellow at the Cato Institute and an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University.
"I think when Mr. Trump and the people around Mr. Trump talk about peace they’re talking about their idea of peace through strength – which is, you know, more sanctions, more threats, more military action. I think the idea of not being embroiled in foreign wars for them means boots on the ground, it doesn’t apply to more weapons, more bombing, and more engagement in other ways. I think it's about a boots on the ground question. And I suspect that that will be the line where things will get complicated."
- Lara Friedman , President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.
This panel explored the many possibilities of another Trump administration and its policy toward the Middle East and whether he will be the "anti-war president" he has claimed.
Read more and watch here [[link removed]] .
Fractured Realities: Democracy in the Age of Foreign Influence, Billionaire Donors, and Disinformation [[link removed]]
www.niacouncil.org/news/panel-recap-fractured-realities-democracy-in-the-age-of-foreign-influence-billionaire-donors-and-disinformation/ [www.niacouncil.org/news/panel-recap-fractured-realities-democracy-in-the-age-of-foreign-influence-billionaire-donors-and-disinformation/]
Picture above: Ryan Grim, Moderator - Reporter at Drop Site News; Ben Freeman - Director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute; Sarah Leah Whitson - Executive Director at DAWN; Kombiz Lavasany - Campaign Strategist specializing in domestic, progressive, and Democratic causes; Lily Greenberg Call - Former Biden Administration Political Appointee
"There’s two systems of justice in the U.S. when it comes to foreign influence – there’s one for America’s friends, there’s another for its enemies. And America’s friends are getting away with everything with impunity."
- Ben Freeman , Director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute.
This panel further underscored the gravity of foreign influence and disinformation campaigns, particularly when they translate into direct attacks on civil liberties and free speech.
Read more and watch here [[link removed]] .
Not Going Back: Civil Rights, Immigration, and Representation in the Next Administration [[link removed]]
[[link removed]] Pictured above: Ryan Costello, Moderator - NIAC Policy Director; Jason Rathod - founding partner of Miliaccio & Rathod LLC who filed a class action lawsuit against Bank of America for discriminating against Iranian Americans; Golnaz Fakhimi - Legal Director with Muslim Advocates, Rep. Gene Wu - Texas House Rep for District 137
"This is an existential crisis because their message is ‘get out!’ I don’t know how to make that more clear. If we do not fight back now, there may not be a home for us to go back to.”
- Texas Representative Gene Wu
This panel discussed current and future threats to the civil rights of Iranian American and other immigrant communities and how to combat them.
Read more and watch here [[link removed]] .

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