Wednesday, January 18, 3–4 p.m. ET
RSVP for this virtual event

Since 9/11, the United States has secretly engaged in armed conflict across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia for the sake of combating terrorism. The controversial 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force has provided legal cover in many cases. But lesser-known laws have also enabled hostilities in the name of “security cooperation” — authorizing the Pentagon to create and use paramilitaries without notifying key decision-makers in Congress and permitting presidents to counter not just terrorist groups but also states, such as China, Iran, and Russia.

Through these laws, a handful of government officials, working with minimal oversight and no notice to the public, could stumble the United States into a major conflict. Expert panelists will take on the question of how Congress should address this danger.

Speakers: Katherine Yon Ebright, Counsel, Brennan Center Liberty & National Security Program // Oona Hathaway, Professor of Law, Yale Law School // Wesley Morgan, Journalist, Author, The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley // Moderator: Elias Yousif, Research Analyst, Conventional Defense, Stimson Center