Join us for our first presentation of the 2026 – 2027 season, featuring Karen Joy Greenberg. She will examine the evolution of global security issues in the 21st century, focusing on the competing aims of security, human rights, and peaceful co-existence. While the late 20th century emphasized the protection of civilians, including women and children, along with arms control and supercharged diplomacy, the 21st century has seen a significant change of course driven by threats of terrorism, Great Power rivalries, climate change, and artificial intelligence.
In her talk, Greenberg will explore the consequences of these changing priorities and question the possibilities for preserving peace, safety, and global security in the days to come.
About The Speaker:
Karen J. Greenberg is an historian and internationally recognized expert on national security law, terrorism, and American democracy. An award-winning author and editor, she has written extensively on the evolving relationship between security, civil liberties, and the rule of law in the post-9/11 era.
Among her many books are Subtle Tools: The Dismantling of American Democracy from the War on Terror to Donald Trump (2021), selected by The Washington Post as one of its “20 books to read” on the 20th anniversary of 9/11; Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State (2016); and The Least Worst Place: Guantanamo’s First 100 Days (2009), named one of The Washington Post’s best books of the year. She has also edited numerous influential volumes examining national security, democracy, election integrity, and the legal and ethical challenges posed by the war on terror.
Greenberg is a Future Security Fellow at New America, a non-resident research fellow at the Reiss Center for Law and Security, and a Senior Research Fellow at the Soufan Center. She previously served for nearly two decades as Editor-in-Chief of The Morning Brief, a widely read daily digest covering national security law and policy, and also edited The Cyber Brief, a weekly roundup focused on cybersecurity.
A sought-after commentator, Greenberg is co-host of the SpyTalk podcast and a frequent contributor to major news outlets. She regularly speaks at national and international conferences, bringing historical perspective and legal insight to some of the most pressing security challenges facing the world today.
