Washington, DC - The next U.S. president, whether Republican or Democrat, will face serious questions about American policy toward the threat of Islamist extremism, one of the most important security challenges of the 21^st century.

On October 10, six panels of leading policymakers, journalists, law enforcement officials, and scholars will explore and debate what steps the next administration should take in combating al Qaeda and its affiliates both at home and abroad.

The conference, convened by the newly-launched Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency Initiative at the New America Foundation and NYU's Center on Law and Security, will feature analysis from Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Steve Coll and Lawrence Wright, the FBI/National Security Branch's Philip Mudd, Terrorism Experts Bruce Hoffman and Marc Sageman, President Bush's former Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend, Peter Bergen and Abdel Bari Atwan, both of whom have interviewed Osama bin Laden, among many others. 

Panels will cover the future of Al Qaeda, the war of ideas, the current state of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Al Qaeda's presence in the wider Arab world and in Europe, counter-radicalization, and counterterrorism measures in America. For a complete list of panels, click here.

For those who cannot attend in person, the event will be WEBCAST LIVE on the event web page and www.thewashingtonnote.com.

New America's Steve Coll, Peter Bergen, Nir Rosen, and Eliza Griswold are available for interviews and media appearances. For additional information about the Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency Initiative or to arrange interviews, please call Erin Drankoski at 202-997-8727 or e-mail drankoski@newamerica.net. 

Additional Information:
Event Agenda: www.newamerica.net/files/AQ3.0Agenda.pdf
RSVP to Al Qaeda 3.0 Event: www.newamerica.net/events/2008/al_qaeda_3_0
Panelist Bios: www.newamerica.net/files/AQ3.0PanelistBios.pdf
Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency Initiative: www.newamerica.net/cci