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RESTORING AMERICA AFTER BUSH
A panel discussion at the Harvard Law School on Friday, May 16, 2008, to examine how to restore America after the Bush presidency. Austin Hall courtroom, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Sponsored by the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, a Boston-based social justice group (www.jalsa.org), and the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice of Harvard Law School and the ACLU of MA.
The questions to be considered:
- How can Congress and the courts be made more effective as co-equal branches to offset the expansion of presidential power? Should, and can, the expansion of presidential power be reversed?
-How should we assess the impact of the 7 years of the Bush administration on international peace and stability and the long term security of the U.S.?
Panelists are:
Professor Andrew Bacevich -- a professor of history and international relations at Boston University.
Mr. Louis Fisher -- a specialist in constitutional law with the Law Library of the Library of Congress.
Professor Charles Fried -- a professor at Harvard Law School, former Solicitor General of the U.S. (1985-89).
Mr. Norman Ornstein -- a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
Mr. F.A.O. Schwarz , Jr. – a senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law School, Chief Counsel for the "Church Committee" (1975-76)).
Professor Detlev Vagts -- Professor of International Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse -- US Senate, (D.RI), committees include the Judiciary Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence; former US Attorney for R.I.
Issues to be discussed include:
• Balancing presidential and Congressional war powers.
• Making Congress more effective.
• Signing statements, executive privilege and government secrecy.
• Political influence in judicial appointments.
• Courts and national security in an era of terror, torture and detention without charge.
• De-politicizing executive departments.
• The president and international law.
• Is the Supreme Court so ideologically unbalanced as to warrant adding additional members to the Court?
• Assessing the Bush national security strategy.
• Bush, Cheney and "American exceptionalism".
• Establishing the appropriate levels and mix of military force.
• Soft power vs. hard power.
• Assessing the role of multinational institutions.
• The legacy of Bush fiscal and economic policies.
• Rescuing the national image.
• Adapting to the new commercial alignments resulting from a strident foreign policy.
• Evaluating the risk of a "clash of civilizations."
For any questions, please contact: Allan Roth, 617.437.0756 |
