The local Democratic groups in Riverside, CA are sponsoring a forum on the Iraq war next week entitled "NO EXIT--Finding Our Way Out of the War In Iraq." This is, in the words of one of the organizers, a "kickass" forum. We hope that any SoCal Kossacks within shouting distance of Riverside will honor us with their presence.
As far as the what, where, and who of this extravaganza: Democracy for America asked its affiliates to hold forums on Iraq war. The forums were supposed to take place over the summer, but we started hatching a more elaborate plan that would be more appropriately scheduled closer to the election.
Details below the fold.
The forum will be held at the University of California, Riverside, on Wednesday October 11, 2006 at 7pm in the campus' Life Sciences 1500 auditorium. The event is co-sponsored by the UCR College Democrats and UCR's Chicano Student Programs, the Democrats of Greater Riverside, Democracy for Riverside, and the Women's Democratic Club of Riverside. The forum will feature policy experts, political analysts and commentators who will take a hard look into the facts of Iraq, how we got there, what the on-the-ground reality is and how the United States can extricate itself from what US General William Odom calls "the worst strategic disaster in American history."
Doors open at 6:30pm. The program starts at 7pm. The event is free and open to the public. Life Sciences 1500 is building number 316a on the UCR Campus map:
http://www.campusmap.ucr.edu/...
LS1500 is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call co-sponsor UCR Chicano Student Programs at 951-827-3821.
We've put together a really amazing panel.
Moderator: Ian Masters is the long-time and highly regarded host of KPFK 90.7fm's radio programs Background Briefing and Live From the Left Coast, which were described in the LA Weekly as, "simply the finest public affairs radio programs in the United States." Mr. Masters was trained by the BBC as a broadcast journalist and is, in addition, a writer, documentary filmmaker and commentator. He was formerly a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Affairs, based at UCLA, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Relations, also at UCLA. Also, he served as a Consultant to the Center for National Security Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Panelist: Dr. Mark LeVine is Professor of modern Middle Eastern history, culture and Islamic Studies at UC Irvine. He is the author and editor of half a dozen books, including: Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, Le Monde, the Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, Chicago Sun Times, and numerous other publications, including as contributing editor at Tikkun magazine. LeVine has traveled widely across the Middle East and North Africa, including regular trips to Israel/Paletine, Lebanon and Iraq. As a Grammy-Award winning musician he has worked with Mick Jagger, Dr. John, Johnny Copeland, Moroccan gnawa/world music artist Hassan Hakmoun, Lebanese rock band The Kordz, Tunisian rai-hiphop artist, MC Rai, and on the Grammy-award winning album Street Signs by Ozomatli.
Panelist: Dr. Christopher Chase-Dunn is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute for Research on World-Systems at the University of California-Riverside. Chase-Dunn is the founder and co-editor of the electronic Journal of World-Systems Research. In 2001 he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2002 he was elected President of the Research Committee on Economy and Society of the International Sociological Association.
Panelist: Dr. Thomas Payne is the Chairman UC Riverside's Department of Computer Science and Engineering, where he also is a faculty member. He received his PhD in mathematics at the University of Notre Dame in 1967, and commenced his career at UC Riverside that same year. In addition to many accomplishments in the field of computer science, he is also a political analyst who is an active Congressional campaign consultant, specializing in policy issues, both domestic and foreign.
Panelist: Dr. Jean Rosenfeld is a specialist in the study Religion and Violence and the application of that study to the understanding of conflict situations. Based at the Center for the Study of Religion at UCLA, she is a Lecturer in Religious Studies at UC Riverside Fall 2006. She is an author, commentator and consultant. Her thesis is that religion is playing the major role in the insurgent violence in Iraq. To understand the situation and to develop a best-case outcome strategy, we must understand the religious dimensions.
Panelist: Louis Vandenberg is the Democratic nominee for United States Congress, running in California's 44th congressional district, which spans Riverside and Orange counties. He is a member of the Democratic State Central Committee and Central Committees of Riverside and Orange counties. He is a long-time administrator during the week and is also a long-time southern California public radio broadcaster. He produces a top-rated radio program in Los Angeles on weekends on the largest public radio station west of the Mississippi river. Mr. Vandenberg has consulted with many of the top experts across the country in the formulation of his positions on a wide spectrum of issues. Some of his recent writing is available at
http://www.dailykos.com/...
http://www.dailykos.com/...
and
http://www.vandenbergforcongress.com
We think we've put together a really thought-provoking evening that will be interesting and productive. The basic structure of the forum will be: one hour panel discussion moderated by Ian Masters, followed by a short break, and then a 50-minute question and answer session. At the conclusion of the forum, we will retire to the atrium where there will be an informal dessert reception where the audience can mix and mingle with the panel members.
We hope that the Kossacks in the area can join us. We'd love to meet you and this is going to be a great event.