"The National Conversation" Debuts at the Wilson Center

New Series Will Provide Safe Political Space for Important Discussions

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has announced a new initiative launching April 8, 2011: The National Conversation at the Woodrow Wilson Center. The National Conversation will examine overarching themes of U.S. international and domestic policy, drawing on high-profile guests and experts from all sides of the political sphere to provide thoughtful, intelligent explorations of challenging issues with the goal of informing the national public policy debate. These discussions will be open to the public and streamed live via www.wilsoncenter.org.

The inaugural National Conversation kicks off April 8 from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m., with a discussion on the search for a new national security narrative to guide U.S. policy in the 21st Century. Five panelists will participate in a discussion moderated by award-winning New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman. The panel will feature: Steve Clemons, founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation; Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim American to be elected into the U.S. Congress; Robert Kagan, senior fellow for foreign policy at the Brookings Institution; Brent Scowcroft, U.S. national security adviser to President Ford and President H. W. Bush; and Professor Anne Marie Slaughter, former director for policy planning for the U.S. Department of State and current Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University.  

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is the national, living memorial honoring President Woodrow Wilson. In providing an essential link between the worlds of ideas and public policy, the Center addresses current and emerging challenges confronting the United States and the world. The Center promotes policy-relevant research and dialogue to increase understanding and enhance the capabilities and knowledge of leaders, citizens, and institutions worldwide.  Created by an Act of Congress in 1968, the Center is a nonpartisan institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., and supported by both public and private funds.

The National Conversation at the Woodrow Wilson Center is our newest initiative. The series will provide a safe political space for deep dialogue and informed discussion of the most significant problems and challenges facing the nation and the world. Nonpartisan and civil, The National Conversation will provide the level of discourse the nation deserves through thoughtful and challenging explorations of vital issues.

Contact: Sharon McCarter
Phone: (202) 691-4016
[email protected]

SOURCE Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars