A DECADE ON: HOW 9/11 USHERED IN A NEW ERA OF NATIONAL SECURITY

Thom Shanker, Author and Correspondent, Pentagon and National Security, The New York Times
Peter Tomsen, Author and former Ambassador and U.S. Special Envoy on Afghanistan

The attacks of September 2001 transformed national security in the United States. Legacies of the past decade—two major military campaigns, an unprecedented series of policy reforms and innovations across government, and a broad mandate of aggressive counterterrorism strategy—have influenced U.S. policy and strategy in unique and sometimes immeasurable ways. Following the death of Osama bin Laden and with ongoing instability in Iraq and Afghanistan, how should we view America’s response to 9/11? What have we learned about the limits of containing and preventing terrorism? In a new era of constrained resources and persistent international threats, how will America face the next decade of security challenges?

Thom Shanker is a correspondent for The New York Times, covering the Pentagon, the military, and national security. From 1997 to 2001, he was the Times’ assistant Washington editor. Shanker had previously been foreign editor of the Chicago Tribune and spent over fifteen years as a foreign and national security correspondent. He has reported from Berlin, Moscow, and the Balkans where he covered European integration, NATO policy, nuclear smuggling, and the collapse of the USSR. Shanker contributes to the American Journalism Review and the New York Times Magazine. He received his B.A. from Colorado College and his M.A.L.D. from Tufts University.

Peter Tomsen is a retired United States ambassador. He served as President George H.W. Bush's special envoy and ambassador to the Afghan Resistance from 1989 to 1992, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from 1993 to 1995, and as ambassador to the Republic of Armenia from 1995 to 1998. From 1986 to 1989, he served as the United States deputy chief of mission in China. He entered the Foreign Service in 1967 and held various posts in Thailand, Vietnam, China, and the Soviet Union, in addition to other positions within the U.S. Department of State. Tomsen received his B.A. from Wittenberg University and his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

Thom Shanker’s book, Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al Qaeda, and Peter Tomsen’s book, The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers, will be available for purchase and signing following the program.