Fifteen Years After the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: Reassessing the Nature of the Threat and Response to Global Terrorism

Photo: Jackie (Flickr)

Notre Dame Law School, in conjunction with the Keough School of Global Affairs, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Notre Dame International Security Center and the Center for Civil and Human Rights, is hosting a conference entitled: “Fifteen Years After the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: Reassessing the Nature of the Threat of International Terrorism and the Domestic and Global Responses.”

The conference is intended to commemorate the fifteen-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks that took the lives of approximately 3,000 innocent civilians.

Most law school and undergraduate students were children on September 11, 2001, and have a limited understanding and appreciation of the geopolitical impact of the 9/11 terror attacks. The conference will provide a forum to educate these students on important national security, civil liberties, and domestic and foreign policy issues implicated by the tragic events of 9/11.

The conference will also provide a forum for prominent experts to examine how the threat of international terrorism has evolved and metastasized since September 11, 2001. Further, the conference will explore the domestic and international responses to the threat of international terrorism, and the effectiveness of those counter-terrorism efforts.

Reception to follow in Eck Commons

8:50 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

Opening remarks: Amb. Thomas (“Ted”) E. McNamara (ret.)

9:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Panel 1: The Military Response to Terrorism

Panel Chair – Prof. Jimmy Gurulé, Notre Dame Law School

1. “Presidential Power and the Changing Nature of War” – Prof. Deborah Pearlstein, Cardozo College of Law
2. “How Standoff Military Power Unleashes the Dogs of War in the Armed Conflict with the Islamic State” – Prof. Geoffrey Corn, Co-Director, Institute for International Legal Practice and National Security, Houston College of Law
3. “Targeted Killing: The Changing Legal Landscape” — Brigadier General Ken Watkin (ret.), former Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Armed Forces

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Coffee Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:25 p.m.

Panel 2: Terrorism, Civil Liberties, and Human Rights

Panel Chair – Prof. Doug Cassel, Notre Dame Law School

1. “The Legacy of Military Detentions at Guantanamo Bay” – Thomas A. Durkin (ND '68), Durkin & Roberts
2. “Terror Watch Lists: Overbreadth and Due Process Concerns” – Hugh Handeyside, Attorney, ACLU National Security Project
3. “Closing Gitmo: Legal and Political Challenges,” – Paul M. Lewis (ND ‘80, NDLS JD ‘83), Presidential Special Envoy for Guantanamo Detention Closure, U.S. Department of Defense
4. “Human Rights, Smuggling, and Security in an Age of Refugee Crisis” — Prof. Maurizio Albahari, University of Notre Dame

12:25 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Lunch

1:30 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.

Panel 3: The Threat of International Terrorism: Emerging Issues and Challenges

Panel Chair – Prof. David Cortright, Keough School of Global Affairs

1. “The Threat of Cyber-Terrorism Attacks” — Emily O. Goldman, Director of U.S. Cyber Command, Combined Action Group
2. “Public Opinion and the War on Terror” – Prof. Michael Desch, Director, N.D. International Security Center
3. “The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It” — Professor Robert Pape, Director of the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism, University of Chicago
4. “The Future of UN Economic Sanctions against the Islamic State,” Kiho Cha (NDLS JD ‘93), UN Senior Political Affairs Officer, ISIL, al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committees

3:10 p.m.—3:25 p.m.  Coffee Break

3:25 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Keynote Address: A Conversation with Congressman Lee Hamilton, Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission [Jack Kelly/Gail Weiss Lecture in National Security]

Moderated by Prof. Michael Desch, Notre Dame International Security Center

4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Closing Remarks: Thomas F. Fay (ND ’61), Fay Law Group

5:00 p.m.—6:00 p.m.  Reception

Co-sponsors:

Center for Civil and Human Rights
Keough School of Global Affairs
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
Notre Dame International Security Center
Notre Dame Law School