9/11, The Forever War, and the First Amendment
The Nation / Knight First Amendment Institute et al.

(August 26, 2026) — 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 at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum at Columbia University 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?

Speakers include Alex Abdo, Rozina Ali, Assia Boundaoui, Jelani Cobb, David Cole, Steve Coll, M. Gessen, Nicole Hemmer, Jameel Jaffer, Brett Max Kaufman, Azmat Khan, Phil Klay, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, Ramya Krishnan, Hari Kunzru, David McCraw, Mohammed R. Mhawish, Shourideh C. Molavi, Lydia Polgreen, Aziz Rana, Astha Sharma Pokharel, Dana Priest, Prem Thakker, and Emily Tripp.

The event will include one-on-one interviews with Alberto Mora, who served as general counsel to the Navy under President George W. Bush; Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was imprisoned without charge at Guantánamo Bay for 14 years; and Mohsen Mahdawi, a graduate student at Columbia University whom the Trump administration arrested, imprisoned, and is still trying to deport for his pro-Palestinian advocacy.

The September 9 program will also feature a special performance by composer and pianist Vijay Iyer.

Lunch will be provided on September 10.

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

Read more about “The Forever War and the First Amendment” here.

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.

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