“Who Decides About War” will be a national conference confronting essential questions raised by the U.S. invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. These questions are timely, as the political process that brought the United States into those wars is widely recognized today as having been flawed at best, dishonest at worst.

This engaging event will bring together activists and academics, public officials and veterans, lawyers and military families to accomplish two goals. First, to educate ourselves and each other about the issues involved, the state of the law, and alternatives. Second, to develop a statement of common principles leading to a more democratic, comprehensive, and durable national defense policy — one that will honor the Constitution and help keep the United States from entering into unnecessary wars.

Panelists will include:

• Keynote Speaker Morton Halperin, Senior Advisor, Open Society Institute
• Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies
• Leah Bolger, National VP, Veterans for Peace
• Elaine Brower, Military Families Speak Out
• Prof. Marjorie Cohn, President, National Lawyers Guild
• Sen. Richard Madaleno, State Senator, Montgomery County, Maryland
• Geoff Millard, Chair, Iraq Vets Against the War
• John Nichols, Esq., The Nation magazine
• Benson Scotch, Senior Legal Counsel, Bring the Guard Home! It’s the Law.
• David Swanson, Founder, AfterDowningStreet

The conference will go from October 2-3, 2009. More information and registration on the event can be found on its website.