Events

Since its passage over 50 years ago, the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has become a critical tool for citizens, journalists, lawyers, and advocacy organizations. It also has inspired state-level legislation that mirrors the original federal FOIA in promoting government transparency. FOIA has been used to expose waste, fraud, abuse, and even criminal conduct on the part of officials at the federal and state levels. It also has been used to help the public better understand the decision making process inside government, often over the objections of government officials. Join us for an event that will examine the history, uses, and challenges of employing FOIA at the federal and state levels with some of the leading experts in the field.

The new year began with America’s immigration debate at white-hot intensity. President Trump’s demand for a border wall and the House Democratic majority’s refusal to give him money for one sparked the longest government shutdown in decades. American troops remain at the border, raising the level of militarization of the border region to dangerous new heights. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents remain in conflict with residents in border communities, and CBP checkpoints throughout the country continue to stop and detain motorists on mere suspicion. Is there a way to end America’s “Border War” and restore constitutional norms within the border region? Join us as a group of distinguished experts will address that and related questions.

The first few generations of American leaders made a sharp distinction between advancing the legitimate interests of the republic and taking on foreign causes that purported to overthrow tyrannical rule and establish democratic systems based on respect for fundamental rights. Within the last half-century, however, a number of foreign insurgent groups have been able to manipulate U.S. policymakers and opinion leaders into supporting their causes. Sometimes those efforts have even entangled the U.S. military in bloody, unnecessary, and morally dubious wars, as in Kosovo, Iraq, Libya, and Syria.
 

In Gullible Superpower, Cato Senior Fellow Ted Galen Carpenter examines the most prominent cases in which well-meaning Americans have ended up supporting misguided policies. He underscores the need for future U.S. leaders to adopt a policy of skepticism and restraint toward foreign movements that purport to embrace democracy.

Join us Thursday, February 21, as Carpenter discusses his book, with additional comments by Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of the National Interest.

If you can’t make it to the event, you can watch it live online at www.cato.org/live and join the conversation on Twitter using #CatoFP. Follow @CatoEvents on Twitter to get future event updates, live streams, and videos from the Cato Institute.