Come to a compelling discussion about the unseen side of the “9/11 wars,” as IPS Fellow Phyllis Bennis interviews author Victoria Brittain about her new book, Shadow Lives: The Forgotten Women of the War on Terror. The book reveals the impact the “9/11 wars” has had on the wives and families of men incarcerated in Guantanamo, or in prison or under house arrest in Britain and the US. Brittain shows how these families have been made socially invisible and a convenient scapegoat for the state in order to exercise arbitrary powers under the cover of the “War on Terror.”

Her book reveals how a culture of intolerance and cruelty have left individuals at the mercy of the security services’ unverifiable accusations and punitive punishments. Both a “j’accuse” and a testament to the strength and humanity of the families, Shadow Lives shows the methods of incarceration and social control being used by the British state and gives a voice to the families whose lives have been turned upside down. In doing so it raises urgent questions about civil liberties which no one can afford to ignore.

After the discussion there will be the customary book signing by Brittain. Join us.

Sponsors: Institute for Policy Studies’ New Internationalism project, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), ACLU of the Nation’s Capital, Teaching for Change and Busboys and Poets.