The Capitol riot on January 6, shocking as it was, surfaced most dramatically a fraying of the social fabric that has been growing for decades.

One month later, the Quincy Institute is convening a virtual roundtable of eminent public intellectuals to reflect on the ways that America’s unrelenting militarism, as well as materialism, and racism – identified by MLK in his speech “Beyond Vietnam” in 1967 as the ‘giant triplets’ – combined and contributed to the events of January 6. Particularly under discussed, how have 20 years of war and domination abroad contributed to the coarsening of our society and politics at home? How do the forces Dr. King identified more than 50 years ago interplay to hollow out our democracy and civil liberties, and what steps might lead to national progress and healing? Our hope is that this “emergency summit” might feed a larger national conversation. 

Please join us for a virtual round table with Danielle Allen, Peter Beinart, Reverend Liz Theoharis, Daniel McCarthy, and Neta Crawford. President Andrew Bacevich will moderate.

What can and should President Joe Biden do to end the war in Yemen? Within his first week in office, Biden paused two Trump administration initiatives: the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the designation of the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization. Both actions are temporary and may be reversed; neither suspends US support for the Saudi military’s aggression in Yemen. Even if Biden decisively withdraws US support, what will it take to end the war, mindful of the other factors driving the violence in Yemen, especially the flow of resources from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iran.

Join US Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA), Aisha Jumaan, and Annelle Sheline as they discuss how to address the world’s greatest humanitarian catastrophe. Quincy Institute Executive Vice President  Trita Parsi will moderate the conversation.