Why War With Iraq?
Sponsored by The American Ireland Fund
Moderator
Callie Crossley, principal, CrossChannels; former producer, ABC News "20/20"
Callie Crossley is a seasoned broadcast professional whose portfolio includes commentary, media consulting, and speaking, as well as producing and directing television and film. She is currently principal of CrossChannels, a firm she founded, specializing in media coaching. Ms. Crossley is also a regular panelist on the weekly television program, Beat the Press, an award winning media criticism program examining local and national media coverage. Prior to her current work, Ms. Crossley spent thirteen years as a network television producer for ABC News "20/20." In addition, she was a producer on the critically acclaimed PBS documentary series Eyes On the Prize.
The recipient of serveral top journalism awards, including a national Emmy, Ms. Crossley is a graduate of Wellesley College and was at Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow. She has been named a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government where she led a seven week discussion series called Beyond Media Coverage: Deconstructing the Message.
Callie Crossley is a longtime member of the Circle who moderated the discussion "South Africa's Struggle" in 1985 with President of the African National Congress, Oliver Tambo. Vibrant and savvy, Callie Crossley is a sensitive liaison between the public and the media, who educates and inspires in both venues. Global Citizens Circle is delighted to have Callie Crossley join us once again to facilitate this most necessary conversation.
Discussion Leaders
Scott Ritter, former chief weapons inspector of the UN Special Commission to disarm Iraq (UNSCOM)
Scott Ritter, former chief weapons inspector for the UN, resigned in August 1998. Unlike many 'armchair analysts,' Mr. Ritter's assessment of the Iraq military stems from nearly a decade of professional on-the-ground experience in Iraq. He believes "The rebuilding of Iraq is essential because it is the only way to restore a semblance of dignity and peace. The alternative, a US-imposed government, in the wake of a US-led invasion, will almost surely lead to anarchy. Iraq will collapse if we move in and invade. No American-designated government has a chance of success."
Media commentator Scott Ritter has been interviewed by numerous national and international networks and on such shows as Hardball, Crossfire, Frontline, and the inaugural show of Donahue. In July of this year, he was invited by the Labor Party members to brief England's Parliamentarians on US-Iraq policy. He was recently named Time Magazine's Person of the Week. He has just returned from Baghdad where he spoke to the Iraqi Parliament, and he will appear once again on CNN's Crossfire, to discuss Iraq and US policy.
The author of Endgame: Solving the Iraq Problem Once and For All,Scott Ritter's writings have appeared in numerous publications. He is the producer of In Shifting Sands, a film about the current situation in Iraq today.
Global Citizens Circle is honored to welcome Scott Ritter to the Circle's family to discuss this most critical issue of peace.
James Carroll, author and columnist
A sincere welcome back to author and columnist, James Carroll. Mr. Carroll has participated in several Circle discussions and moderated two programs: a discussion at which Gerry Adams spoke on his first US trip after the 1994 peace process in Northern Ireland was announced, and a more recent discussion in 2000 addressing the Middle East peace process.
Now the only conceivable check on the sole superpower is the will of its own people, manifest through politics, which is why we must urgently take up the subject.
"Questions on Bush's War on Iraq"
The Boston Globe, July 23, 2002
Writer James Carroll has been a civil rights activist, antiwar demonstrator and a former Catholic priest. He is the author of nine novels and a memoir, An American Requiem, which won the National Book Award in 1996. His most recent book, Toward a New Catholic Church: The Promise of Reform was published this month, and his tenth novel will be published in 2003. James Carroll lectures widely on Jewish-Christian reconciliation, on Catholic reform, and on the question of war and peace. He is a regular participant in ongoing Jewish-Catholic-Muslim encounters and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Friends of Open House, a West Bank project working toward Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation.
Of course, Mr. Carroll is a highly acclaimed author but it is his regular Boston Globe columns that never fail to address with clarity and principled focus the complex global issues affecting our lives. He is, indeed, a most appropriate discussion leader for this evening's program.