To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy.
A seminar with Frederic Wehrey, Senior Fellow, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on his new book The Burning Shores: Inside the Battle for the New Libya from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Moderated by Stephen Walt, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School.
Followed by a book signing at Harvard COOP Bookstore at 1400 Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square.
The death of Colonel Muammar Qadhafi in 2011 freed Libya from forty-two years of despotic rule, raising hopes for a new era. But in the aftermath, the country descended into bitter rivalries and civil war, paving the way for the Islamic State and a catastrophic migrant crisis. What went wrong? Based on years of on-the-ground reporting in Libya and interviews with Western policymakers, Middle East scholar Frederic Wehrey will discuss his new book, The Burning Shores: Inside the Battle for the New Libya.
Frederic Wehrey is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His writing on Libya has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and other publications. A U.S. military veteran with tours across the Middle East, he holds a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University. His first book, Sectarian Politics in the Gulf, was chosen as a Best Book on the Middle East by Foreign Affairs magazine. Born and raised in Southern California, he now lives in Washington, D.C. |  |