The panel will discuss their insights and analyses on the military campaign in Iraq in the context the greater war on terrorism.  Furthermore, they will discuss the threats posed from other nation-state sponsors of terror in the region.  This will include their analyses of potential military strategies in the context of the complicated political landscape that exists in the region. 

            Col. Ken Allard, US Army, retired, now serves and an adjunct professor in the National Securities Program at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.   He holds a Ph.D. in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a master's degree in public administration (M.P.A.) from Harvard. A noted author and lecturer, Allard's many publications include two books: "Somalia Operations: Lessons Learned" and "Command, Control and the Common Defense," which won the 1991 National Security Book Award. He runs his own consulting company in McLean, Virginia and appears frequently as foreign policy and security analyst on television and radio.  He is a consultant to NBC News and a featured military analyst on MSNBC and CNBC.

            Col. Jack Jacobs, US Army, retired, is one of the most highly decorated soldiers of the Vietnam era, having earned three Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, and the Medal of Honor.  He is the only living Jewish Congressional Medal of Honor winner. Jacobs won his medal in 1968. He took command when the South Vietnamese unit he was advising came under heavy enemy attack. Despite being seriously wounded, he personally saved the lives of 13 Vietnamese soldiers and the other American adviser with whom he was serving.  He holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from Rutgers University, and entered the army through the ROTC program.  Jacobs is the McDermott Distinguished Chair of Politics at West Point.  He is a member of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations, and appears regularly on MSNBC where he serves as a military analyst.

Lt. Col. Bill Cowan, US Marine Corps, retired, is a former commander of US Special Forces who served on many battlefields around the world.  He began his career as a Navy enlisted man.  He is a graduate of the US Naval Academy.  Cowan spent three and a half years in combat in Viet Nam.  He was specially selected to serve in the 1980's as one of the first members and the only Marine in the Pentagon's most classified counter-terrorist unit, known now as Task Force Orange (TFO).  He served TFO as senior military operations officer and field operative on covert and clandestine missions into the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America. His service included extensive experience with the Central Intelligence Agency.  He served two years on the staff of USSenator Warren B. Rudman as his primary staff assistant during the Iran/Contra hearings.  Cowan was principal drafter of the legislation creating the US Special Operations Command in Tampa, FL.  From 1989 through 1994, he was involved in numerous operations in the Middle East in response to terrorist incidents and the holding of Western hostages in Beirut and Kuwait.  In 1990, on behalf of a major New York law firm and working with former CIA Director Bill Colby, he organized and successfully conducted a series of operations resulting in the repatriation of a number of Western hostages from Iraqi-occupied Kuwait.  Lt. Col. Bill Cowan is a regularly featured military analyst for FOX News Channel

            Dr. Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C., brieves the United States and foreign governments and institutions on terrorism. He is an analyst with MSNBC and appears on CNN, Fox News, BBC, al Jazeera and other outlets, providing the latest analysis on terrorism, Jihadism and Middle East events. Phares has authored several books and hundreds of articles over the last 25 years, many in Arabic and French.  His most recent book, Future Jihad (November 2005) has received high praise and acclaim.  Phares was educated at the Jesuit and Lebanese Universities of Beirut where he obtained degrees in law and political science, as well as a certificate in sociology. He obtained a master's degree in international law from the Universite de Lyons in France and a Ph.D. in international relations and strategic studies from the University of Miami.

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SUBJECTS
Who is winning and who isn't?

Is this a war with the Terrorists or against an ideology?

When should the troops come back from Iraq?

What is the real status of al Qaida?

Are we really debating a war on terror or internal politics?

What are Syria and Iran's plans?

WIll there be a full war between Israel and Hamas?