Civil strife in Iraq continues and instability may only increase after the January elections. U.S. withdrawal has become an acceptable strategy in Washington, but will it be tenable if violence escalates and Iraq unravels again? In Afghanistan, fraudulent elections have left U.S. policy in crisis. The lack of a legitimate, honest, and capable government may prevent a viable counterinsurgency from being established. Public debate has focused on the number of troops but there are more important issues that will determine the success of the U.S. effort. Please join us as Ivan Eland, Peter Galbraith, Lawrence J. Korb, and Charles Peña discuss whether the U.S. can best serve its interests in both Iraq and Afghanistan by adjusting U.S. policy while withdrawing from both countries soon.

The Independent Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, in cooperation with the Louisiana and South Carolina Departments of Insurance, will host the second annual Out of the Storm conference. A distinguished line-up of speakers and guests will gather to discuss issues related to insurance reform for natural disaster plagued geographic areas. “We are trying to ask the tough questions and provide—at minimum—partial answers. Louisiana and South Carolina have both gone down the road of pro-market reform for hurricane-prone areas,” says Eli Lehrer, Director of CEI’s Center for Risk, Regulation and Markets. “This is sure to be an important conference.”

Amid the current economic and financial crises, President Obama may do well to remember the men who have come before him. As we move toward his first 100 days in office, there is much that can be learned from George Washington, Martin Van Buren, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and others. Has the exercise of executive power protected civil and economic liberties? Have attempts to occupy and “nation-build” in the Mideast and elsewhere been successful? What about federal intervention in the economy?

Please join us as Ivan Eland, author of Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity, and Liberty, and political scientist Andrew R. Rutten examine these issues and highlight the historical “dos” and “don’ts” of the Oval Office.