The Forever War and the First Amendment

This September will mark 25 years since 9/11 and the dawn of a seemingly endless proliferation of open-ended conflicts waged against poorly defined enemies in North Africa, the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and even here inside the United States. A quarter of a century later, what George W. Bush labeled the “War on Terror” and what we have come to call “The Forever War” continues to shape our laws, politics, speech, and democracy.

On September 9th and 10th, the Knight First Amendment Institute and the Simon and June Li Center for Global Journalism will host a major symposium to consider the ongoing impact of the Forever War on democratic rights, including the freedoms of speech and the press. How did the Forever War remake our laws, our institutions, our democracy? And how does it continue to influence the freedoms of speech and the press–and our right to know what our government is doing and funding in our names?

Participants include Alex Abdo, Rozina Ali, Assia Boundaoui, Jelani Cobb, David Cole, Steve Coll, M. Gessen, Nicole Hemmer, Vijay Iyer, Jameel Jaffer, Brett Max Kaufman, Azmat Khan, Phil Klay, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Hari Kunzru, Mohsen Mahdawi, David McCraw, Mohammed R. Mhawish, Alberto Mora, Shourideh C. Molavi, Lydia Polgreen, Dana Priest, Aziz Rana, Astha Sharma Pokharel, Shirin Sinnar, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Prem Thakker, and Emily Tripp.

Program at a Glance

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

4:00 pm - 4:15 pm -- Introductory Remarks

4:15 pm - 5:30 pm -- The Forever War’s Long Shadow

5:45 pm - 6:45 pm -- Reporting the Forever War

6:45 pm - 7:30 pm -- A Special Performance by Vijay Iyer

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm -- Reception

Thursday, September 10, 2026

9:15 am - 9:45 am -- Welcome

9:45 am - 11:00 am -- The First Amendment Under Pressure

11:15 am - 11:45 am -- An Interview with Alberto Mora

11:45 am - 12:15 pm -- An Interview with Mohamedou Ould Slahi

12:15 pm - 1:30 pm -- Lunch will be provided

1:30 pm - 2:45 pm -- New Media, New Media Institutions

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm -- An Interview with Mohsen Mahdawi

3:30 pm - 4:45 pm -- The Forever War and Democratic Culture

4:45 pm - 5:00 pm -- Closing Remarks

Read more about “The Forever War and the First Amendment” here: https://knightcolumbia.org/events/the-forever-war-and-the-first-amendment

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Knight Institute and the Li Center for Global Journalism in partnership with Harper’s Magazine and The Columbia Daily Spectator.

Registration is required to attend in person or to watch the livestream. (Note: Vijay Iyer’s performance will not be livestreamed.)

You must register using your full legal name as it appears on your government ID. Each person must register individually. Registration does not guarantee admission, and seating is first-come, first-served. Check-in will be done by name against our registration list rather than by scanning tickets, so there's no need to bring a printed or digital ticket—just a valid ID matching the name you registered under.