The discussion about Lebanon was focused on a soon to be published essay by Nicholas Noe entitled “Re-Imagining the Lebanon Track: Toward a New US Policy.” Noe, founder and editor-in-chief of the Beirut-based translation news service www.mideastwire.com, argued that a major fault in U.S. policy toward Lebanon has been the lack of nuanced and strategic understanding of Hezbollah and the broader situation of Lebanese domestic politics.

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Edward Alden spoke about his recent book The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11.

“Within two hours of 9/11 customs had succeeded in finding and naming the nineteen hijackers,” Alden began. From the attacks, he suggested, two primary schools of though emerged.

Mr. Gellman, co-author of a Pulitzer prize-winning set of stories in the Washington Post on Vice President Dick Cheney, spoke about the subtle but important cases in which the office of the vice president usurped power from the higher levels of the executive branch. It was Cheney’s attention to detail and “process” and the decisive and pragmatic execution of his vision that differentiated him from others in the executive branch, including President Bush.

While the U.S. military has long relied on private contractors, the outsourcing of key national security functions has increased dramatically in recent years. From intelligence gathering and logistical support to personal security services, training, and operational support tasks, the efforts of contractors are now integral to the success of America's security and stabilization missions around the world.