Friday, December 9, 2022

The National Council for US-Libya Relations (NCUSLR) webinar on Dr. Ethan Chorin's recent book, “Benghazi!: A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink.” December 9, 2022, 11.30 am - 01.00 pm EST. A critical reassessment of the attack that killed US Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans, Chorin -- a former US diplomat and witness to the attack -- argues that the 2012 terrorist attack on the US mission in Benghazi not only pushed Libya further into chaos, it dramatically changed the course of US domestic politics and foreign policy. Indeed, the residue of the attack and the media storm that followed can be seen all around us today, from the January 6 hearings to the war in Ukraine. One of the book's key takeaways is that insulating America's foreign policy and security bureaucracies from increasing political pressure is essential to safeguarding America's democracy and global influence. A 30-minute presentation by NCUSLR Advisory Board Member Dr. Chorin is followed by a moderated group discussion with our NCUSLR President Dr. Hani Shennib and NCUSLR Advisory Board Member Ambassador Gene Cretz, U.S. Ambassador to Libya from 2009 until May 2012. Special insights are provided by Mr. Clemens Reiter, former Chief Security Officer of the Libyan Cement Company, who was on the ground in Benghazi throughout 2012. The discussion is moderated by Col. Wolfgang Pusztai, Chairman of the NCUSLR Advisory Board. Wolfgang was Austria's Defense Attaché to Libya from 2007 until August 2012.