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April 12, 2008 (Saturday), 9-5.
National Constitution Center , Kirby Auditorium
525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Background : The war on Iraq began on March 19, 2003. On May 1, 2003, the U.S. president landed on an aircraft carrier near San Diego and declared, “Mission Accomplished.” That declaration proved premature. As stated by one commentator, “The law of unintended consequences broke out in Iraq with a vengeance.” A. Allawi, The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace, at 456 (2007). As every day in Iraq, on average at least one more U.S. soldier dies, and thirty times as many Iraqis die, and every month we spent another $12 billion dollars (much of it going to private contractors), the vast majority of Americans have begun to question the war.

The issue: But even assuming that, as another commentator puts it, “Operation Iraqi Freedom [was] the most ill-conceived, poorly executed, and disastrous exertion of American power in the history of the republic” (S. Talbott, The Great Experiment, at 392 [2008]), there remains the question of whether a more or less immediate exit is the right thing to do now. Would our withdrawal make matters better or worse? Are there alternatives to total and immediate withdrawal that might help Iraqis help themselves, such as the substitution of a UN or Arab League or some other kind of international stability force? Can an Iraqi government that is viewed as legitimate by Iraqi citizens ever be formed as long as U.S. forces are viewed as propping it up, or might some kind of multi-lateral UN-brokered peace process be more likely to succeed in this respect? These and other questions all add up to one question: WHAT TO DO NEXT.

Our approach: We hope to address the above question in a manner that is:

1)        nonpartisan, encompassing a spectrum of viewpoints, and
2)        committed to an open and honest, freewheeling yet respectful dialogue, focused upon solutions rather than debates about past mistakes.

COME JOIN THE DIALOGUE

SPEAKERS
Prof. Sohail Hashmi: Author of “An Islamic Solution [to the problem of Iraq].”
Robert Dreyfuss: Author of “Getting Out.”
Col. Paul Hughes (U.S. Army, Retired): Author of “Consolidating Gains in Iraq.”
Gareth Porter: Author of “The Third Option in Iraq: A Responsible Exit Strategy.”
Craig Eisendrath: Senior Fellow, Center for International Policy.
Ivan Eland: “The Way Out of Iraq: Decentralizing the Iraqi Government.”
Prof. Nabil Al-Tikriti: “Social & Political Forces in Iraq: An NGO Primer.”
Prof. Joseph Schwartzberg: “A New Perspective on Peacekeeping.”
    Background Information about Speakers (click)
        (speakers subject to change)

OBSERVERS: This innovative category is:
1)        current and recent policymakers (and their staffs), such as congressmen, State Department officials, UN Mission staff, & international observers (all presidential candidates are invited, although only in an “observer” capacity, not as speakers, and all will be treated alike);
2)        those who influence policy (Middle East think tankers; etc.);
3)        key journalists; and
4)        soldiers & families of soldiers who died in Iraq (e.g., Mrs. Celeste Zappala of Philadelphia).

SCHEDULE

8:30 :		Registration & pickup of registration materials.
9 to	9:05 :	Welcome to National Constitution Center by Joseph Torsella, Pres., NCC.
9:05 to	9:15	Introductory Remarks by James T. Ranney, Chair, GCF, and Moderator
9:15 to	10:45	Panel on U.S. Alternatives (stay vs. go vs. redeployment/reposturing vs. substitution force).
10:45-	11	Break
11 to	11:45	Q & A
11:45-	1:15	Lunch ("Delegates Restaurant" NCC)
1:15 to	2	Panel on Iraqi Alternatives (federalism, partition, confederation, etc.; Q&A).
2 to	2:15	Break
2:15 to	3:20	Panel on Global Alternatives (role of UN and other outside players; Q&A).
3:20 to	5	General Question of What to Do (all speakers & audience).

COST
$25 (includes box lunch). Students and Iraq vets free, assuming seat availability. Only 180 seats.

CODE OF CONDUCT
We expect respectful dialogue. Although we have no reason to anticipate any problems whatever, we notify all attendees in advance that any conduct that consistently disrupts the proceedings will result in removal. All attendees by registering signify their consent to this policy.

MAJOR SPONSOR: Newman's Own Foundation. Promotional Sponsor: National Constitution Center. Co-sponsors: Citizens for Global Solutions (Philadelphia) and Coalition for Peace Action (Princeton, NJ).

HOTEL INFORMATION
A limited number of discount-rate rooms have been blocked out by GCF for the evenings of April 11 & 12, at the Holiday Inn-Independence Mall (400 Arch St.). To secure the discount rate ($149), call: 1-800-THE-BELL, and give them the discount code, “GLO.” As to other hotels, one technique is to go to mapquest.com for a given address & click on the “hotels” tab. Or you can call Jim Ranney (215-849-9165) for further suggestions.

REGISTRATION (by mail): SEND check made out to “Global Constitution Forums” to: James T. Ranney, 1018 W. Cliveden St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-3701. Also please send this registration form:
Name_________________________________ Title__________________
Org. (if any) _______________________________________
Addr. _____________________________________________
Tel. & email: _______________________________________.

TOURIST INFORMATION (click/link)

TRAVEL INFO

MORE INFO. ON GCF (w/ full details) MORE INFO (short version)

RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS: There will a video recording of the entire day's proceedings, which may be available for a small charge. Contact Jim Ranney (phone/address under hotel/registration just above).

OVERVIEW

GCF FLYER